Sex-related differences and rotational atherectomy: Analysis of 5 177 percutaneous coronary interventions based on a large national registry from 2014 to 2020.

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with rotational atherectomy (RA) have massively calcified coronary arteries and their prognosis differs between sexes.

AIMS

The aim of the study was to evaluate the trends in the percentage of sexes in the subsequent years, to compare demographic characteristics between men and women, and to identify factors associated with the risk of periprocedural complications and death.

METHODS

We analyzed data on 751 113 patients treated with PCI between 2014 and 2020 from the Polish National Registry of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (ORPKI). We extracted data on 5 177 (0.7%) patients treated with RA of whom 3 552 (68.6%) were men. To determine risk factors of periprocedural complications and death, a multivariable analysis was performed.

RESULTS

The proportion of PCIs involving RA increased between 2014 and 2020 (P <0.001). Almost twice as many RA procedures were performed on men (68.55%), and that proportion did not change in the following years. The female patients were older (75.2 [8.3] vs. 70.5 [9.2] years; P <0.001). When considering periprocedural complications, their overall rate (3.45% vs. 2.31%; P = 0.01) and death rate (0.68% vs. 0.17%; P = 0.006) were greater among women. Also, via multivariable analysis, female sex was found to be a risk factor for greater periprocedural mortality (P = 0.02) and overall complication rate (P = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of patients treated with RA are men and sex-related distribution was stable during the analyzed period. Female sex is a risk factor for greater periprocedural complications and mortality in patients treated with RA.