Incidence, Predictors and Outcomes of Major Bleeding in Patients Following Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Australia

Background Major bleeding is a serious complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We set out to investigate the incidence of major bleeding and its impact on hospitalisation and long-term mortality. Method We examined seven years of registry data encompassing 16,860 PCI procedures. Results Between 2005 and 2011 major bleeding increased from 1.3% to 3.4%. In patients with ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), the rate increased from 2.3% to 6.4%. The increase remained significant after adjusting for patient and procedural characteristics (OR=1.09/year, p=0.001). Bleeding risk was highest in patients presenting with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock (CS). Women, STEMI patients, those aged over 70yrs or weighing Conclusions Major bleeding rates post-PCI appear to be increasing in Australia. Bleeding increases hospitalisation and is associated with poor clinical outcomes.