(Press-News.org) Washington, D.C. – MAY 1, 2025 – The first study evaluating Medicare patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) demonstrated good safety outcomes, such as mortality and adverse event rates at 30 days, compared to outpatient hospital departments, but were less likely to use certain technologies. The late-breaking data were presented today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2025 Scientific Sessions.
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are non-hospital facilities that provide same-day surgical or procedural care to often low-risk patients. Since Medicare began providing coverage for certain PCI procedures in ASCs in 2020, more of these procedures are being done outside the traditional hospital setting. The shift to ASCs can primarily be attributed to the potential for cost savings, innovation in clinical diagnostics, and the growing aging population in need of care. Between 2024 and 2034, ASC volume is anticipated to increase by 21%. However, little is known about the patient and procedural characteristics and outcomes of PCI in ASCs.
This is the first study to investigate procedural volume trends, patient and procedural characteristics, and outcomes of outpatient PCI performed in ASCs within the Medicare population, benchmarked against hospital outpatient departments. Clinical settings (hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient [OP], and ASC) were determined by the Claim Place of Service codes; and the Social Vulnerability Index, a validated measure of socioeconomic status and community-level stressors developed by the CDC, was used.
Among 408,060 patients who underwent outpatient PCI from 2020 to 2022, 7,494 (1.8%) were in ASCs, and 400,566 (98.2%) were in hospital outpatient departments. The rate of PCIs in ASC increased from 0.01 per 10,000 person-years in 2018 to 0.87 in 2022. Patients treated in ASCs were more often in the Southern region of the U.S. and in socially vulnerable areas (36.6% vs. 21.9%), and fewer patients underwent multivessel PCI (3.0% vs. 5.9%). At 30 days, adverse events such as mortality, stroke, pericardial effusion and tamponade, and access-site bleeding were comparable between groups. Patients treated in the outpatient hospital setting had higher rates of all-cause hospitalization and acute myocardial infarction, while ASC patients had a higher rate of repeat PCI (OR 2.14).
“Patients are drawn to care at ASCs due to the lower costs and greater convenience, which correlates to the shift we’re seeing in PCIs being done at ASCs. We’re also seeing a trend of physicians thoughtfully selecting patients to undergo PCIs in this setting – something we anticipate will increase in the future,” said Katerina Dangas, BMBCh, Research Fellow at the Smith Center for Outcomes Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and lead author of the study. “Looking forward, participation in national registries, such as the American College of Cardiology’s Cardiovascular ASC Registry suite, will be an important step toward establishing national quality benchmarks tailored to the risk profile of patients treated in the ASC setting.”
As the number of ASC PCI cases increases, continued investigation is warranted.
Session Details:
“Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Ambulatory Surgery Centers: Procedural Volume Trends and Outcomes in the Medicare Population”
Thursday, May 1, 2025; 11:47 - 11:55 AM ET
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, SCAI Central, Hall D
###
About Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI)
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions, established in 1978, stands as the primary nonprofit medical society dedicated to representing invasive and interventional cardiology. SCAI's mission is to guide the global interventional cardiovascular community by fostering education, advocacy, research, and upholding standards for quality patient care. For more than 40 years, SCAI has exemplified professional excellence and innovation worldwide, cultivating a reputable community of over 5,000 members committed to advancing medical science and providing life-saving care for individuals, both adults and children, affected by cardiovascular disease. For more information, visit https://scai.org/.
For more information about the SCAI 2025 Scientific Sessions, visit https://scai.org/scai-2025-scientific-sessions. Follow @SCAI on X for the latest heart health news and use #SCAI2025 to follow the latest discussions.
END
Background and Aims
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is the most common form of chronic liver disease worldwide. This study aimed to explore the role of TM6SF2 in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced MASLD through the gut-liver axis.
Methods
The TM6SF2 gut-specific knockout (TM6SF2 GKO) mouse was constructed using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. TM6SF2 GKO and wild-type (CON) mice were fed either a HFD or a control diet for 16 weeks to induce MASLD. Blood, liver, and intestinal lipid content, as well as gut microbiota and serum metabolites, were then analyzed.
Results
TM6SF2 GKO ...
Washington, D.C. – MAY 1, 2025 – In one of the largest studies of early cardiogenic shock (CS) patients, where blood flow is still functioning to vital organs, researchers demonstrated that 26% experienced worse outcomes, including care escalation, CS deterioration, or in-hospital mortality. The data were presented today as late-breaking clinical research at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2025 Scientific Sessions.
CS is a life-threatening condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. As a result, your blood pressure may suddenly drop to dangerous levels, and if CS isn’t diagnosed and treated ...
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A clinical trial is underway to assess the effectiveness and safety of sipavibart, AstraZeneca’s long-acting monoclonal antibody designed to provide protection against Covid-19, as a potential treatment for Long Covid, the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and the Schmidt Initiative for Long Covid (SILC) announced today.
With funding from SILC, NSU researchers led by Dr. Nancy Klimas are enrolling 100 patients in the multi-year study with the goal of improving their Long Covid symptoms and restoring them to full health.
“Like ...
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study shows how damaging it can be for college students in introductory STEM classes to compare how hard they work to the extent of effort put in by their peers.
Researchers studied students in an introductory chemistry class, one of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. They found that those who thought they had to work harder than others in class were less likely to believe they had the ability to succeed in science.
This focus on comparative effort was bad for both men and women in the class. But women showed positive effects of thinking they tried hard in the class ...
For years, estrogens were known as the reproductive hormones produced by the ovaries, but recent discoveries reveal that these hormones are also synthesized in the brain through an enzyme called aromatase. This brain-specific version of estrogen is called neuroestrogen, and while its presence has been known, its precise function remained unclear—until now. Researchers from Fujita Health University reveal a groundbreaking discovery suggesting the direct role of neuroestrogen in appetite regulation.
“It is well known that MC4R (melanocortin-4 receptor) is an important receptor in the brain that regulates food intake,” explains lead author Takanori Hayashi, Associate Professor ...
Could it be possible to diagnose Parkinson's disease with the help of a simple retinal exam? The idea should be seriously considered, according to a study published in the May issue of Neurobiology of Disease by researchers from Université Laval who discovered that the retina of people with Parkinson's disease responds differently to light stimuli than that of healthy people.
Parkinson's disease is usually diagnosed when a person consults a doctor because of motor problems such as tremors. “By then, the disease has been present for several ...
Scientists have for the first time provided insight into how bomb residue transfers to the hands of suspects, which could lead to stronger evidence in court.
The study, which was led by a team from King’s College London and published today in the journal Science & Justice, investigated how explosive materials commonly found in pipe bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) transferred to the palms and fingers of individuals who handled them. The researchers learned that the amount that was handled and the unique characteristics of the handler were important determining factors. Surprisingly, ...
Parenting in the hospital is stressful. Moms and dads naturally focus on their ill child, sometimes to the neglect of their own mental health.
A Stanford Medicine team has found an effective way to help: Using a virtual reality headset, parents of inpatients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford can participate in a short, guided meditation that helps them relax and build healthy coping skills.
The VR-guided meditation reduced parental anxiety by about 30% in a study that was published recently in the Journal of Patient Experience. It was especially helpful for Spanish-speaking families, ...
Whether they’re counting on Medicare to pay for something it doesn’t currently pay for, thinking they can deal with the issue later, or thinking they won’t need it at all, a new poll reveals major gaps in knowledge and preparation regarding long-term care among Americans aged 50 and over.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) believe Medicare would pay for their care if they needed to permanently move into a nursing home. But Medicare generally doesn’t cover this kind of care. It also doesn’t pay family caregivers to take care of someone at home.
The poll also asked about Medicaid, which ...
PITTSBURGH, May 1, 2025 – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists are one step closer to developing a brain-computer interface, or BCI, that allows people with tetraplegia to restore their lost sense of touch.
While exploring a digitally represented object through their artificially created sense of touch, users described the warm fur of a purring cat, the smooth rigid surface of a door key and cool roundness of an apple. This research, a collaboration between Pitt and the University of Chicago, ...
