At a median follow-up of 2.1 years, 7.7% of patients in the intravascular imaging group experienced a primary endpoint event, compared with 12.3% of those in the angiography-only group—a 38% reduction in risk for those who received the intravascular imaging-guided procedure. Death due to heart disease, a heart attack caused by a blockage in the treated artery or the need for a repeat stenting procedure in the treated artery occurred in 1.7%, 3.7% and 3.4%, respectively, of patients in the intravascular imaging group, compared with 3.8%, 5.6% and 5.5%, respectively, of those in the angiography group.
Strengths of the study are its larger sample size and longer follow-up period than previous studies comparing imaging- and angiography-guided stenting, as well as its inclusion of patients with various types of complex coronary artery blockages, Hahn said. One limitation is that the study was unblinded—that is, both patients and their treating physicians knew which procedure was being performed. Another limitation is that the study included only patients of East Asian ethnicity, which may limit its generalizability to patients of other races and ethnicities.
Ad Statistics
Times Displayed: 21855
Times Visited: 433 Stay up to date with the latest training to fix, troubleshoot, and maintain your critical care devices. GE HealthCare offers multiple training formats to empower teams and expand knowledge, saving you time and money
It has been estimated that more than 600,000 coronary stents are implanted annually in the U.S. According to Hahn, intravascular imaging is currently used in, at most, 15% of all such stenting procedures.
“The results of our trial may lead to an increase in the use of intravascular imaging—and, in turn, an improvement in clinical outcomes—among patients with complex coronary blockages who are undergoing stenting,” Hahn said.
Future studies are needed to examine the cost-effectiveness of intravascular imaging, which may be more costly than angiography, Hahn said. Research is also needed to examine the mechanism by which IVUS- or OCT-guided stenting can improve clinical outcomes for patients with complex coronary artery disease.
The study was funded by grants from Abbott Vascular and Boston Scientific, makers of the intravascular imaging devices used in the study.
This study was simultaneously published online in the New England Journal of Medicine at the time of presentation.
Hahn will be available to the media in a press conference on Sunday, March 5, at 9:30
a.m. CT / 15:30 UTC in the Rivergate Room.
Hahn will present the study, “Intravascular Imaging-Guided Versus Angiography-Guided Procedural Optimization in Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention,” on Sunday, March 5 at 8 a.m. CT / 14:00 UTC in the Great Hall.
ACC.23/WCC will take place March 4-6, 2023, in New Orleans, bringing together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention.
