Outcomes of Impella-supported high-risk nonemergent percutaneous coronary intervention in a large single-center registry

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the early and one-year outcomes of Impella-supported high-risk nonemergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background: The evidence for the use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices in high-risk nonemergent PCI is limited and nonconclusive. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective study including all patients who underwent high-risk nonemergent PCI supported by Impella 2.5/CP at our institution between January 2009 and June 2018. This patient population was propensity score matched with subjects undergoing PCI with no MCS. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE: all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], and target lesion revascularization) at one-year follow-up. Results: Two-hundred fifty patients undergoing Impella-supported nonemergent PCI were matched to 250 controls. The two groups were well balanced in terms of clinical and angiographic characteristics. Left main PCI was performed more frequently among Impella-supported patients (26% vs. 11%, p <.001), who also had numerically higher prevalence of rotational atherectomy use (44% vs. 37%, p =.10) and a higher number of vessels treated (1.8 ± 0.8 vs. 1.3 ± 0.6, p <.001), compared with controls. Impella-supported patients suffered a higher incidence of periprocedural MI (14.0% vs. 6.4%, p =.005), major bleeding (6.8% vs. 2.8%, p =.04), and need for blood transfusions (11.2% vs. 4.8%, p =.008). However, at one-year follow-up there were no differences in the rates of MACE (31.2% vs. 27.4%, p =.78) or any of its individual components between Impella-supported patients and controls. Conclusions: Although Impella-supported patients suffer a higher incidence of periprocedural adverse events (partially linked to more aggressive PCI), the incidence of one-year MACE was similar between the Impella and control group.