Rate of PCI for coronary artery disease drops in the US

(HealthDay)—In the past several years, the rate of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease (CAD) has decreased in the United States, according to research published in the Oct. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

Luke K. Kim, M.D., of the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and colleagues conducted a serial cross-sectional study with time trends of patients undergoing PCI for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and stable CAD from 2007 to 2011.

The researchers found that the rate of all PCI per million adults per year decreased from 10,785 procedures in 2007 to 2008 to 7,801 procedures in 2010 to 2011 (27.7 percent decrease; P = 0.03). No statistically significant decrease in PCI for ACS was observed from 2007 to 2011, but PCI for stable CAD per million adults per year decreased from 2,056 procedures in 2008 to 992 procedures in 2011 (51.7 percent decrease; P = 0.02). Decreases in PCI for stable CAD were found for patients with Medicare (44.5 percent; P = 0.03) and private insurance or health maintenance organization membership (59.5 percent; P = 0.007).

"In conclusion, the rate of PCI decreased substantially starting from 2009 in the United States," the authors write. "Most of the decrease was attributed to the reduction in PCI utilization for stable CAD."

One author disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical and biomedical companies.