Real-World Safety Analysis of Paclitaxel Devices Used for the Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease

To investigate the real-world safety of paclitaxel (PTX)-coated devices for treating lower extremity peripheral artery disease using a commercial claims database.

Data from FAIR Health, the largest commercial claims data warehouse in the United States, were used for this study. The study consisted of patients who underwent femoropopliteal revascularization procedures between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019, with PTX and non-PTX devices. The primary outcome was 4-year survival following treatment. The secondary outcomes included 2-year survival, 2- and 4-year freedom from amputation, and repeat revascularization. Propensity score matching was used to minimize confounding, and the Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate survival.

A total of 10,832 procedures were included in the analysis, including 4,962 involving PTX devices and 5,870 involving non-PTX devices. PTX devices were associated with a reduced hazard of death following treatment at 2 and 4 years (hazard ratio [HR], 0.74 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.69-0.79]; P <.05, and HR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.77-1.02]; log-rank P =.018, respectively). The risk of amputation was also lower following treatment with PTX devices than with non-PTX devices at 2 and 4 years (HR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.76-0.87]; P =.02, and HR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.67-0.89]; log-rank P =.01, respectively). In addition, the odds of repeat revascularization were similar with PTX and non-PTX devices at 2 and 4 years.

In the real-world commercial claims database, no short- or long-term signal for increased mortality or amputations was observed following treatment with PTX devices.