Orbital atherectomy for treatment of severely calcified coronary artery bifurcation lesions: A multicenter analysis.

Abstract Objective This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of orbital atherectomy (OA) for the treatment of severely calcified coronary artery bifurcation lesions. Background Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of severely calcified coronary artery lesions is associated with lower procedural success and higher rates of target lesion failure compared to non-calcified lesions. OA is an effective treatment for calcified coronary artery lesions prior to stent implantation. However, there is little data regarding the safety and efficacy of OA in patients with coronary artery bifurcation lesions. Methods Data were obtained from analysis of patients with severe coronary artery calcification who underwent OA and coronary stent implantation at ten high-volume institutions. Data were pooled and analyzed to assess peri-procedural outcomes and 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Results A total of 1,156 patients were treated with OA and PCI. 363 lesions were at a coronary artery bifurcation. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics between the bifurcation and non-bifurcation groups. In the bifurcation group, treatment involved the left anterior descending artery and its branches more frequently and right coronary artery less frequently. After propensity score matching, the 30-day freedom from MACE was not statistically significant between the two groups. Conclusion In this multicenter cohort analysis, patients with severely calcified coronary bifurcation lesions had low rates of MACE and target vessel revascularization at 30 days at rates comparable to non-bifurcation lesions. This analysis demonstrates that OA is safe and effective for complex coronary lesions at both bifurcation and non-bifurcation locations.