Predictors of outcome in patients undergoing PCI. Results of the RIVIERA study

Limited information is available about clinical outcomes following routine percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the current era. This study aimed to identify predictors of adverse clinical or angiographic complications following PCI in patients from many different countries.

RIVIERA is a multinational, prospective, observational study in patients undergoing elective or primary PCI. Consecutive patients (n=7962) were enrolled in 144 hospitals from 23 countries in four different continents. Primary outcome was death or myocardial infarction (MI). The mean age of the patients was 59 years and 77% were men; 92% of patients underwent elective and 8% primary PCI.

The rate of in-hospital outcomes was low: death 0.3%, MI 1%, any bleeding 3.4%. Angiographic complications occurred in 8.7% of patients, mainly coronary dissection (3.7%) and no reflow (2%). After multivariable analysis, the strongest independent predictors of death or MI were clinical presentation with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and administration of a glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitor. Radial access, thienopyridine pretreatment and anticoagulation with enoxaparin were associated with a lower risk of death or MI. Female gender, PCI of coronary artery bypass graft, administration of a GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor and combined use of enoxaparin and unfractionated heparin were significantly associated with more bleeding. Radial access was the only variable associated with less bleeding.

Routine PCI appears to be a relatively safe revascularization procedure. Many of the variables identified as predictors of adverse cardiac outcomes confirm results obtained in recent randomized PCI trials and are modifiable, suggesting that further improvements can be made.