CTO PCI Evaluated for Long-Term Survival in Single-Center Study

May 1, 2025—The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) announced findings from a study demonstrating that stenting improved long-term survival with fewer cardiac arrests at 1 year in patients undergoing chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

According to SCAI, the retrospective, single-center observational study evaluated the association between stented versus nonstented CTOs at a high-volume PCI center.

The late-breaking data were presented at the SCAI 2025 scientific sessions held May 1-3 in Washington, DC.

As summarized in the SCAI press release, patients in the study were stratified into stented and nonstented groups. A total of 677 patients underwent CTO PCI, with 81.2% receiving stents. Baseline characteristics were assessed using descriptive statistics.

The investigators found that stenting was associated with improved long-term outcomes, including a lower risk of cardiovascular death at 6 months (adjusted odds ratio, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06–0.71) and a lower incidence of cardiac arrest at 1 year (adjusted odds ratio, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.06-0.72). No significant differences were observed in 30-day all-cause mortality or in-hospital complications, stated the SCAI press release.

The study’s lead investigator is M. Chadi Alraies, MD, who is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Medical Director, Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Detroit Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan.

“While stenting is widely accepted as beneficial for patients with total blockages, the data presented at SCAI scientific sessions provides further evidence that it should be considered safe and effective in the long term,” commented Dr. Alraies in the SCAI press release. “Our study provides evidence that stenting can be an important treatment option for patients undergoing CTO PCI.”

The investigators advised that further studies are needed to refine treatment strategies and optimize CTO PCI outcomes, noted the SCAI press release.