Objective: Vascular surgeons (VS), interventional cardiologists (IC), and interventional radiologists (IR) perform peripheral arterial interventions (PAI). In this study, we reviewed market share trends and compared outcomes for each specialty using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS).
Methods: Patient discharges for PAI (1998-2005) were identified based on ICD9-CM procedure codes. The provider's specialty was identified by a specialty-specific algorithm and analyzed using SAS 9.1 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Market share trends and distribution of cases at teaching versus non-teaching hospitals were evaluated. Primary outcome measures were in-hospital mortality and iatrogenic arterial injuries (IAI). Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of post-procedure morbidity and mortality.
Results: The number of cases identified was 23,825. From 1998 to 2005, IR's market share decreased six-fold (1998: 33% to 2005: 5.6%) whereas VS market share increased from 27% to 43% and IC from 10% to 29% (P < .05). A similar but more pronounced trend was observed at teaching hospitals. In-hospital mortality rate was highest for IR (2.1 IR% vs 1.2% VS and 0.6% IC; P < .001). Post-procedure IAI was highest in the IC group (1.3% vs IR 0.9% and 0.5% VS; P < .05). Compared with VS, the mortality rate was 1.62 times higher for IR patients (odds ratio [OR]: 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-2.24) and IAI was 2.44 times higher for IC (OR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.63-3.66) and 1.75 times higher for IR (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.08-2.81) patients.
Conclusions: IR market share of PAI has precipitously declined while those of VS and IC have increased significantly. Vascular surgeons had the lowest overall morbidity and mortality of all groups. Increase in the number of endovascularly-trained VS with better access to fluoroscopy units may further increase VS's market share.