Midterm Angina-Related Quality of Life Benefits After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of Chronic Total Occlusions.

BACKGROUND: Data on the impact of coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on quality of life (QOL) are limited. To date, studies have been limited in sample size and have focused on only a few domains of the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ). We evaluated the relationship between coronary CTO PCI and QOL in patients with symptoms of angina, incorporating all aspects of the SAQ.

METHODS: The SAQ was used to interrogate patients at baseline and at 12 months after CTO PCI. The primary end point was improvement in SAQ scores.

RESULTS: A total of 184 patients answered the baseline SAQ. One hundred twenty-two patients answered both questionnaires. SAQ responders were more likely to be men, more like to be in stable medical condition, and more likely to have undergone a successful procedure. We observed statistically significant improvement (P < 0.0001) in physical limitation (mean difference [MD], +27; 95% confidence interval [CI], +23 to +32), angina stability (MD, +16; 95% CI, +10 to +21), angina frequency (MD, +27; 95% CI, +22 to +32), treatment satisfaction (MD, +10; 95% CI, +6 to +13), and QOL domains (MD, +28; 95% CI, +24 to +32). Patients with coronary artery bypass grafting, dissection re-entry techniques, and high complexity (Japanese CTO [J-CTO] ≥ 3) had a similar degree of improvement when compared with their counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS: CTO PCI is associated with a significant improvement in QOL at 12 months. Patients with complex CTOs derive benefits similar to those in patients with less complex CTOs.