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Updated: Oct 5, 2025
Author Spotlight: Enhancing Coronary Artery Revascularization
Published on: September 15, 2023
Outcomes of chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with reduced left ventricular
Bahadir Simsek1, Spyridon Kostantinis1, Judit Karacsonyi1
1Center for Coronary Artery Disease, Minneapolis Heart Institute and Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Background:
The relationship between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and the success and safety of coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has received limited study.
Methods:
We examined the clinical characteristics and outcomes of CTO PCI in the Prospective Global Registry for the Study of CTO Intervention (PROGRESS-CTO) after stratifying patients by LVEF (≤35%, 36%-49%, and ≥50%).
Results:
A total of 7827 CTO PCI procedures with LVEF data were included. Mean age was 64 ± 10 years, 81% were men, 43% had diabetes mellitus, 61% had prior PCI, 45% had prior myocardial infarction, and 29% had prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Technical success was similar in the three LVEF strata: 85%, 86%, and 87%, p = 0.391 for LVEF ≤35%, 36%-49%, and ≥50%, respectively. In-hospital mortality was higher in lower LVEF patients (1.1%, 0.4%, and 0.3%, respectively, p = 0.001). In-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were numerically higher in lower EF patients (2.7%, 2.1%, and 1.9%, p = 0.271). At a median follow-up of 2 months (interquartile range: 19-350 days), patients with lower LVEF continued to have higher mortality (4.9%, 3.2%, and 1.4%, p < 0.001) while the MACE rates were similar (9.3%, 9.6%, and 7.4%, p = 0.172).
Conclusion:
CTO PCI can be performed with high technical success in patients with reduced LVEF but is associated with higher in-hospital and post-discharge mortality.
