PCI can be performed as safely without on-site access to surgery, says SCAI

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) without onsite surgical support is as safe as PCI at centres that have access to surgical support, according to a new consensus statement from the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI).

THE RECOMMENDATION comes after a review of data from across randomised controlled trials, observational studies, and international experience. The statement, published in the Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (JSCAI) and JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, explains that adequate operator experience, appropriate clinical judgment and case selection, and facility preparation are essential to a safe and successful PCI programme with no-SOS—surgery on site.

PCI with no surgical support was once considered high risk, SCAI notes in a press release, despite that it has been performed with “acceptable” outcomes for nearly four decades. In 2007, SCAI published an initial consensus statement on the procedure within this setting, with the last update in 2014.

“Since we released the last consensus statement in 2014, same-day discharge after elective PCI has increased to 28.6% of all PCIs and 39.7% of radial PCIs in the USA,” said Cindy Grines (Northside Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, Atlanta, USA), chair of the writing group and SCAI past president. “Elective PCI in no-SOS settings have increased in volume and complexity. Concurrently, there have been