Background: Recent reports have suggested that angioplasty, with and without stenting (PTA/S), may have a lower perioperative mortality rate than open surgery for revascularization of acute (AMI) and chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI). It is unclear if there has been nationwide adoption of this methodology or whether there is actually a mortality benefit.
Methods: We identified all patients undergoing surgical (bypass, endarterectomy, or embolectomy) or PTA/S mesenteric revascularization from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1988 to 2006. A diagnosis by International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revisioncoding of AMI or CMI was required for inclusion. We evaluated trends in management during this period and compared in-hospital death and complications between surgical bypass and PTA/S for the years 2000 to 2006.
Results: From 1988 to 2006, there were 6342 PTA/S and 16,071 open surgical repairs overall. PTA/S increased steadily, surpassing all surgery for CMI in 2002. PTA/S for AMI has also increased and surpassed bypass in 2002 but has not surpassed all surgical procedures for AMI even in 2006. The mortality rate was lower after PTA/S than after bypass for CMI (3.7% vs 13%, P < .01) and AMI (16% vs 28%, P < .01). Bowel resection was more common after bypass than PTA/S for CMI (7% vs 3%, P < .01). This subgroup showed an increased in-hospital mortality rate for both repair types (54% and 25%, respectively).
Conclusion: PTA/S is being used with increasing frequency for revascularization of CMI and AMI. The lower in-hospital mortality rate for patients, as they are currently being selected, shows that PTA/S is appropriate therapy for selected patients with CMI. Longitudinal data are needed to determine the durability of this benefit. The greater proportion of patients undergoing bowel resection with bypass for AMI suggests a more advanced level of ischemia in this group, making comparison with PTA/S difficult. However, PTA/S may be useful in selected patients with AMI and appropriate anatomy. Further data with greater detail regarding symptomatology and anatomy will clarify appropriate patient selection.