Incidence and consequences of periprocedural occlusion: The 1985-1986 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty Registry

Of 1,801 patients in the 1985-1986 Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) Registry, 122 (6.8%) had periprocedural occlusion (4.9% in the catheterization laboratory, 1.9% outside the laboratory). Baseline patient factors independently associated with increased occlusion rates included triple-vessel disease, high risk status for surgery, and acute coronary insufficiency. Lesion characteristics showing significant positive association included severe stenosis before PTCA, diffuse or multiple discrete morphology, thrombus, and collateral flow from the lesion. Intimal tear and dissection were also very strongly associated with occlusion. Sixty patients (49%) had a transient occlusion that was reopened with PTCA, 43 (35%) were not redilated and managed with bypass surgery, and 19 (16%) were not redilated and managed medically. In-hospital mortality was 5% in each of these treatment groups, compared with 1% in occlusion-free patients. In-hospital infarction rates ranged from 27% in patients with transient occlusion to 56% in the patients managed with surgery, compared with 2% in patients without occlusion. During 2 years of follow-up, somewhat increased mortality continued in patients with occlusion, whereas follow-up infarction rates were comparable for all patients regardless of occlusion. Patients with an occlusion that was reopened or managed medically had increased rates of surgery during follow-up. Rates of repeat PTCA were comparable (about 23% by 2 years) in patients with transient occlusion and those without occlusion. Occlusion remains a serious complication of angioplasty and is associated most strongly with major events and surgical procedures that occur during the in-hospital period.