Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Outcomes Based on Decision‐Making Capacity

BACKGROUND: Long‐term outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) based on patients’ decision‐making ability have not been studied. Our objective was to assess long‐term outcomes after PCI in patients who provided individual versus surrogate consent. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were collected retrospectively for patients who underwent PCI at Cleveland Clinic between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016. Inclusion criteria consisted of hospitalized patients aged ≥20 years who had PCI. Patients with outpatient PCI, or major surgery 30 days before or 90 days after PCI, were excluded. Patients who underwent PCI with surrogate consent versus individual consent were matched using the propensity analysis. Kaplan–Meier, log rank, t‐statistic, and χ(2) tests were used for statistical analysis. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. Of 3136 patients who underwent PCI during the study period, 183 had surrogate consent. Propensity matching yielded 149 patients from each group. Two‐year all‐cause mortality was significantly higher in the surrogate consent group (38 [25.5%] versus 16 [10.7%] deaths, log‐rank χ (2)=10.16, P<0.001). The 2‐year major adverse cardiac events rate was also significantly higher in the surrogate consent group (60 versus 36 events, log‐rank χ (2)=8.36, P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with surrogate consent had significantly higher all‐cause mortality and higher major adverse cardiac events when compared with patients with individual consent. This study emphasizes the fact that patients with an inability to give consent are at high risk and may need special attention in postprocedural and postdischarge care.