Ascending aortic hemodynamics and one-year clinical events following percutaneous coronary intervention.

Increased pulse pressure has been shown to predict mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in large cohorts of ambulatory patients. There have been reports suggesting worsened outcome following percutaneous coronary balloon angioplasty in patients with increased pulse pressure. We reviewed 434 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary stenting to assess for clinical outcomes as a function of pulse pressure (PP) and pulse pressure fraction (PPf). At 1 year, MACE was identified in 17.9% of subjects. There was no statistically significant difference in PP or PPf in those subjects with and without death, myocardial infarction or revascularization. Although previously reported to have correlation with risk for revascularization following balloon angioplasty, aortic pulse pressure at the time of percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting does not predict the risk for cardiac events at 1 year.