Objectives: We assessed the rate and identified risk factors for postprocedure vascular complications following direct percutaneous intervention (dPCI).
Methods: Data were collected on 881 consecutive patients who underwent dPCI in our cath-lab from January 2002 to December 2003. Multivariate regression was used to identify characteristics associated with vascular complications.
Results: Out of 881 patients, hematoma was found in 148 (16.8%) cases. Pseudoaneurysm was detected by ultrasound in 40 (4.5%) patients, 5 (0.6%) patients underwent surgery. Variables associated with increased risk included age, female sex, low body mass index (BMI) and body surface area (BSA) and presence of diabetes mellitus.
Conclusions: Predicting the risk of post-PCI vascular complications is feasible. This information may be useful for clinical decision-making and institutional efforts at quality improvement.