Journal Watch Cardiology summarizes three New England Journal of Medicine studies that were presented at the American College of Cardiology conference:

Nonemergency PCI seems safe to perform at hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery facilities, according to a randomized study that included some 3700 patients. Three fourths underwent PCI at hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery, and the rest were transferred to hospitals with on-site facilities. The rate of a composite outcome (death, MI, repeat revascularization, or stroke) did not differ between the groups at either 30 days or 12 months.

In two studies of relatively high-risk patients undergoing CABG, use or nonuse of cardiopulmonary bypass had no significant effect on the rate of composite outcomes that included death, MI, stroke, repeat revascularization, or renal failure. Joel M. Gore comments that the choice regarding cardiopulmonary bypass “thus depends chiefly on operator expertise and individual patient characteristics and preferences.”

Source: Journal Watch Cardiology