[Percutaneous coronary interventions : Use between 2004 and 2012 in Germany]

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Interventional Cardiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) are a cornerstone in managing coronary artery disease.
• Understanding the trends and demographics of PCI procedures is crucial for healthcare planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the frequency of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in Germany.
• To examine PCI trends by patient age, sex, intervention type (bare metal stents [BMS] vs. drug-eluting stents [DES]), and setting (inpatient vs. outpatient).

Main Methods:

• Utilized routine data from over eight million individuals insured by three statutory health insurance funds (2004-2012).
• Calculated quarterly, sex- and age-standardized intervention rates.
• Differentiated inpatient PCIs into those using BMS and DES.

Main Results:

• Overall standardized PCI rates increased from 277.3 to 382.2 per 100,000 person-years (2004-2012).
• PCI rates were three times higher in men than women.
• Drug-eluting stent (DES) PCI rates surged by 548%, while bare metal stent (BMS) PCI rates fell by 48%; outpatient PCIs constituted 7-11% of all procedures.

Conclusions:

• PCI utilization is increasing in Germany, driven primarily by drug-eluting stent (DES) procedures.
• The frequency of bare metal stent (BMS) PCI is declining.
• Observed sex-specific differences in PCI rates exceed those attributable to differing morbidity profiles, and outpatient PCI rates remain relatively low.