Evolving trends in interventional device use and outcomes: results from the National Cardiovascular Network Database

Although multiple new coronary interventional devices have been approved for marketing in the United States, use of these technologies in general clinical practice and their associated outcomes have not been reported.

Using the National Cardiovascular Network's Coronary Interventional Database, we examined temporal trends in the use and outcomes of coronary stents, lasers, directional atherectomy, and rotational atherectomy devices at 12 US hospitals between January 1994 and December 1997 (n = 76,904). Over this period, the percentage of cases involving coronary stents rose more than 12-fold (from 5.4% in 1994 to 69.0% in 1997). In contrast, use of atherectomy-type devices declined significantly. Device selection was strongly influenced by the patient's coronary anatomy and procedural indication, but less by age, sex, or race. Device use also varied significantly among individual centers (4-fold variation among sites in stent use and 6-fold variation in atherectomy use) even after adjusting for patient characteristics. Although overall mortality rates were unchanged during this 4-year period, procedural success rates have improved and complication rates have declined significantly. Lengths of postprocedure hospital stay also fell significantly for all patients undergoing coronary intervention in this time period.

Percutaneous interventional strategies are rapidly changing with the explosive growth of coronary stent use and the decline in use of atherectomy devices. Patient outcomes, including complication rates and postprocedure lengths of stay, have also improved as the new interventional strategies have been refined in clinical practice.