Implementation of Robotic-Assisted Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Into a High-Risk PCI Program

How to implement robotic-assisted PCI safely and when to escalate to more complex cases has not been previously described. We sought to evaluate clinical outcomes in patients undergoing robotic-assisted PCI in the first year of a newly established robotic-assisted PCI program.

All patients who underwent robotic-assisted PCI in the first 12 months at a single academic center were included in the study. Lesion complexity was characterized as "PRECISE-like", "CORA-PCI-like", or "CORA-PCI excluded" based on established criteria. The primary outcome was clinical success, defined as <30% residual stenosis after stenting with a final TIMI flow grade 2-3 and no procedural complications. Secondary outcomes included robotic success, defined as clinical success with robotic completion, unintentional manual conversion rate, procedure time, and procedural complications.

Of the 57 consecutive lesions treated, 12 (22.6%) had a PRECISE-like lesion complexity while 32 (56.1%) had a CORA- PCI-like, and 13 (22.8%) a CORA-PCI excluded lesion complexity. There was no significant difference in clinical success (100.0% vs. 96.7% vs. 100.0%, p = 1.00) among the groups but robotic success was numerically lower as complexity increased (100.0% vs. 80.0% vs. 72.7%, p = 0.15), with an increased frequency of manual conversion. There was no significant difference in procedural complication rates among the groups. The robotic completion rate improved during the study period.

Robotic-assisted PCI, can be safely implemented in a moderate-sized academic center, with a rapid escalation in patient and lesion complexity.