Angioplasty no riskier at facilities without on-site surgery, study says

Performing percutaneous coronary interventions, such as angioplasty, at centers without on-site surgery capabilities is not associated with higher mortality rates, according to a new study in the Dec. 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. That's despite recently issued guidelines that recommend PCI be performed only at centers with on-site surgery.

Using data from 15 past studies of PCI patients, researchers assessed outcomes at centers with and without on-site surgery. They found no increase in in-hospital mortality or in emergency coronary artery bypass grafting surgery among patients who received PCI interventions for ST-segment myocardial infarction at centers without on-site surgery.

Rates of mortality and emergency bypass surgery were also similar among patients who underwent elective PCI. “For nonprimary PCI overall, there was no difference in in-hospital mortality or the need for emergency CABG surgery in patients treated at centers with or without on-site surgery,” the authors wrote in the study.

The study emphasized the need for more research, particularly among nonprimary PCI patients.