Incidence and outcomes of early percutaneous coronary intervention after isolated valve surgery

Background: Coronary ischemia requiring early percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a rare but serious complication of isolated valve surgery. We sought of assess the incidence, predictors and outcomes of early PCI after isolated valve surgery using the national inpatient sample. Methods: Patients who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR), isolated mitral valve repair (MVr) or replacement (MVR) between 2003 and 2014 were identified. Patients who had early postoperative PCI were compared with patients who did not require PCI. Primary end point was in-hospital mortality. Secondary endpoints were complications, length-of-stay and cost. Results: Among the 135,611 included patients, 1,074 (0.8%) underwent PCI prior to discharge. Unadjusted in-hospital mortality was higher in patients requiring early PCI following AVR (11.2 vs. 3.1%), MVR (24.1 vs. 5.5%), and MVr (22.4 vs. 2.5%) (P < 0.001) compared with patients not requiring PCI. Postoperative PCI remained independently associated with higher mortality after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities and hospital characteristics (adjusted OR [aOR] = 3.74, 95%CI 2.70–5.17 for AVR, aOR = 6.10, 95%CI 4.53–8.23 for MVR, and aOR = 9.90, 95%CI 7.22–13.58 for MVr). Patients undergoing PCI had higher incidences of stroke, acute kidney injury, infectious complications, higher hospital charges, and longer hospitalizations. Age, robotic-assisted surgery, and chronic renal failure were independent predictors of needing early postoperative PCI. Conclusions: Early PCI after isolated aortic or mitral valve surgery is rare but is associated with substantial in-hospital morbidity, mortality, and cost. Further studies are needed to identify preventable causes, and optimal management strategies of this serious complication.