Editor's Choice - Real World Study of Mortality After the Use of Paclitaxel Coated Devices in Peripheral Vascular...

This observational cohort study examined outcomes after peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) with paclitaxel coated devices (PCD) and non-PCD, and evaluated heterogeneity of treatment effect in populations of interest.

The study included patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and or stent placement between 1 October 2015 and 31 December 2018 in the Vascular Quality Initiative Registry linked to Medicare claims. It determined differences in patient mortality and ipsilateral major amputation after PVI with PCD and non-PCD using Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox regressions with inverse probability weighting in three cohorts: (A) patients treated for femoropopliteal or infrapopliteal occlusive disease with or without any other concurrent treatment (n = 11 452); (B) those treated for isolated superficial femoral or popliteal artery disease (n = 5 519); and (C) patients with inclusion criteria designed to approximate RCT populations (n = 2 278).

The mean age of patients was 72.3 (SD = 10.9) years, and 40.6% were female. In cohort A, patients receiving PCD had a lower mortality rate (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79 - 0.98) than those receiving non-PCD. There was no significant difference in mortality between groups in cohort B (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.80 - 1.04) and cohort C (HR 1.10, 95% CI 0.84 - 1.43). Patients receiving PCD did not have a significantly elevated risk of major amputation compared with those receiving non-PCD (cohort A: HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.70 - 1.00; cohort B: HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.67 - 1.06; and cohort C: HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.51 - 2.14).

No increased patient mortality or major amputation was found at three years after PVI with PCD vs. non-PCD in this large, linked registry claims study, after accounting for heterogeneity of treatment effect by population. The analysis and results from three cohorts intended to mirror the cohorts of previous studies provide robust and niche real world evidence on PCD safety and help to understand and reconcile previously discrepant findings.