Risk of post-PCI bleeding, predicted by a new model

According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions, a new definition of post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) bleeding and a new predictive risk model can better identify patients at risk for bleeding complications. Sunil V. Rao, M.D., from the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, N.C., and colleague’s analyzed clinical data from the national CathPCI Registry from February 2008 through April 2011 to identify factors associated with major bleeding complications occurring within 72 hours post-PCI. The researchers found that the bleeding rate was 5.8 percent when utilizing the new bleeding definition. There was similar discriminatory value across the subgroups using the full model, which was well calibrated across the PCI spectrum. “Risk models that use this expanded definition provide accurate estimates of post-PCI bleeding risk, thereby better informing clinical decision making and facilitating risk-adjusted provider feedback to support quality improvement”, the authors write.