Regional Disparities and Predictors of Intracoronary Imaging Use During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in the...

Intracoronary imaging (ICI) guidance improves outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), yet adoption remains slow and can be further compounded by known disparities in cardiovascular care. We examined contemporary trends in ICI use during PCI and associated regional disparities in the United States. Records of patients ≥18 years old who underwent PCI between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020, were identified using appropriate ICD-10 codes (n = weighted total of 1876970 records). Those with missing region information and those with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting, concomitant cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest were excluded. The cohort's mean age was 64.9 years, 33.6% were female, and the majority (74.9%) were White. Between 2016 and 2020, the use of ICI increased from 6.8% to 13.5% (p_trend=0.01), with increase in intravascular ultrasound from 6.5% to 12.9% (p_trend=0.01) and optical coherence tomography from 0.3% to 0.7% (p_trend=0.03). ICI use improved across all 4 regions over the years, but Southern region had persistently lower rates of ICI use (7.6%), followed by Midwest (8.9%), Northeast (9.9%), and Western (12.6%) regions. Western region was associated with higher [OR (CI): 1.46 (1.29-1.66)], while Southern region with lower [OR (CI): 0.86 (0.76-0.98)] likelihood of ICI use. There is significant regional variation in the use of ICI during PCI across the United States, with a lesser likelihood in Southern and higher likelihood in Western states. Cardiology societies must continue to advocate for and design strategies to facilitate ICI use across all regions.