Performance Of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Research Articles

Procedure and Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for High-risk Complex Coronary Disease

Objective: It has been demonstrated that performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the absence of mechanical circulation support (MCS) for patients with complex high-risk coronary artery disease bears a high risk. Alternatively, to figure out the procedure effectiveness and the mid-term prognosis of PCI for complex high-risk coronary artery disease, we accomplished the whole process by the assistance of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Methods: Between July 2016 and October 2017, 6 consecutive complex and high-risk coronary disease patients underwent routine ECMO-supported PCI. Results: The average age of the patients was 70.5±11.98, and half of them (50%) were male. The mean creatinine (Cr) was 188.67±151.68 µmol/L. The average scores for SYNTAX, SYNTAX II, and LVEF pre the procedure was 41.33±12.14, 47.87±9.45 / 31.55±8.82, and 44.40±12.58%, respectively. The mean supporting duration of ECMO was 10.50±7.79 h. Regarding the postoperative complication, one case observed lower limp venous thrombosis and another reported infection at the access site. Two patients (33.3%) died for refractory heart failure during the follow-up course of 17.00±9.51 months, and the average net improvement index (NII) was 28.30±25.11% for this period. Conclusion: With the support of ECMO, the prognosis of complex high-risk coronary disease has shown to be improved by intervention in our study.

P0585ANEMIA AS A PROGNOSTIC FACTOR IN CONTRAST-INDUCED ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY IN PATIENTS WITH STABLE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Abstract Background and Aims Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) remains one of the major obstacles to perform percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), especially in older patients and in patients with comorbidities. The number of cases of stable coronary artery disease (CAD) requiring such kind of interventions, in spite of optimal medical treatment received, remains high. Diabetes, hyperuricemia and other components of metabolic syndrome, as well as heart failure, are well known risk factors predisposing to the development of CI-AKI after contrast exposure. Anaemia is diagnosed in a number of patients without underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD), when they seek for medical help due to CAD. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of CI-AKI (primary outcome) and the prognostic significance of anaemia as a its possible risk factor (secondary outcome) in different groups of patients with stable CAD requiring PCI using the contrast media. Method We conducted a single-centre prospective observational cohort study. 561 patients aged 18-89 with stable CAD undergoing PCI were enrolled from June 2012 until October 2013. The CI-AKI was defined as a rise in serum creatinine of ≥0,5 mg/dl (≥44μmol/l) or a 25% increase from baseline value, assessed at 48-72 hours after PCI. Anaemia was defined according to the WHO definition – haemoglobin level <12,0 g/dl in women and <13,0 g/dl in men. The contrast media used was either iodixanol (iso-osmolar contrast) or iopromide (low-osmolar contrast), which are both known to cause less adverse events than high-osmolar types of contrast. Nephrotoxic drugs were stopped 48 hours before PCI. The 5-year prognosis including all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, gastrointestinal bleeding, decompensation of chronic heart failure, repeat revascularizations (PCI and coronary artery bypass grafting), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) development, was assessed via phone calls and appointments according to the clinical situation and severity of the condition. Results The prevalence of CI-AKI in this group of patients was 104 cases (18,5%) (primary outcome). The number of patients with anaemia was higher in the group of patients who developed CI-AKI after PCI (6% [7/104] vs 4,4% [20/457]). The female patients with anaemia were more likely to develop CI-AKI (71% [5/7] vs 35% [7/20]). The number of patients who suffered from MI having anaemia at the inclusion date was 2 (28,6%) vs 6 (30%) in patients with and without CI-AKI respectively. Acute heart failure decompensation in patients with anaemia was significantly higher in patients with CI-AKI (43% [3/7] vs 10% [2/20]). This fact needs further evaluation in larger studies but anaemia may be one of the prognostic factors, worsening the kidney damage and leading to worse cardiorenal outcomes. Conclusion Patients with stable CAD suffering from anaemia are more likely to develop CI-AKI even without underlying CKD or ESRD. Female patients with anaemia and stable CAD have higher risk of development of CI-AKI. The combination of CI-AKI and anaemia may lead to a higher 5-year risk of acute heart failure decompensation.

CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF SURVIVORS OF OUT-OF-HOSPITAL CARDIAC ARREST WITHOUT ST ELEVATION RECEIVING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION

It is unclear if performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in survivors of Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) without ST elevation (STE) provides mortality benefit. Hence, we hypothesized to study clinical outcomes of performing PCI in OHCA without STE patients from a national database

CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF ANTERIOR STEMI PATIENTS ELIGIBLE FOR THE DOOR TO UNLOAD TRIAL

The Door to Unload Trial is a novel interventional trial proposing to treat anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) by unloading the left ventricle (LV) with impella for 30 minutes prior to performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Our goal was to identify patients (pts) who

P1251Percutaneous coronary intervention versus medical therapy for coronary lesions with positive fractional flow reserve (FFR) but preserved coronary flow reserve (CFR). A substudy of the COMPARE-ACUTE

Abstract Introduction International guidelines recommend performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on stable coronary lesions with a positive fractional flow reserve (FFR) to improve clinical outcomes. It remains unclear if FFR positive lesions with preserved coronary flow reserved (CFR) might be better treated medically. Purpose This study compared clinical outcomes between PCI and medical therapy for stable FFR-positive lesions with preserved CFR. Methods We performed a substudy of the randomized, multicenter COMPARE-ACUTE trial in which treated ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients with stable non-culprit lesions were randomized to either FFR-guided PCI or medical therapy. Based on baseline and hyperaemic pressure gradients, we computed the so-called pressure bounded-CFR (pb-CFR) and classified lesions as low (<2) or preserved (≥2). Our primary end point was a composite of death from any cause, non-fatal myocardial infarction, revascularization, or cerebrovascular events (MACCE) at 12 months. Results A total of 980 lesions from 885 subjects were included in this sub-study due to availability of baseline and hyperaemic pressure gradients. For the 462 lesions with FFR≤0.80, 249 had a pb-CFR<2 while 29 had a preserved CFR (pb-CFR≥2). The rate of MACCE at 1 year did not differ significantly between subjects with FFR≤0.80 and pb-CFR<2 versus FFR≤0.80 and pb-CFR≥2 (24% vs. 30%, p=0.44). Because of randomization, baseline characteristics were well balanced between subjects with FFR≤0.80 and pb-CFR≥2 who were treated by PCI or medical therapy. Importantly for subjects with FFR≤0.80 and pb-CFR≥2, MACCE occurred more frequently when treated medically compared with PCI (50% vs. 0% respectively, p=0.01). Conclusions In this post-hoc substudy from a large randomized controlled trial of 885 subjects with 980 lesions, a preserved pb-CFR≥2 did not associate with an improved clinical outcome when FFR≤0.80. Subjects with FFR-positive coronary lesions but a preserved pb-CFR experienced significantly worse clinical outcomes when treated medically instead of with PCI. These data suggest that a stenosis with a FFR≤0.80, even when pb-CFR remains preserved, benefits from treatment with PCI. Acknowledgement/Funding Maasstad Cardiovascular Research, Abbott Vascular and St. Jude Medical

Преодоление географических барьеров в лечении острого инфаркта миокарда в России

За прошедшее десятилетие в России существенно увеличилось число медицинских организаций, выполняющих высокотехнологичные малоинвазивные операции при остром коронарном синдроме – чрескожные коронарные вмешательства (ЧКВ). В данной работе мы оцениваем степень влияния географических барьеров на доступность населения к этому наиболее эффективному способу лечения острого коронарного синдрома, в том числе инфаркта миокарда.
 Нами была собрана информация о медицинских организациях, выполнявших ЧКВ в 2010 и 2015 гг., а также данные о численности населения муниципальных районов и городских округов в России. Методами сетевого анализа было оценено время транспортировки и расстояние от физического центра каждого муниципального района/городского округа до ближайшего ЧКВ- центра в России. Расчеты были выполнены с использованием графа улично-дорожной сети
 В период с 2010 по 2015 г. число ЧКВ-центров в России увеличилось со 144 до 260. Медианное время доезда до ближайшего ЧКВ-центра составило 48 минут в 2015 г. (в 2010 г. ‒ 73 минуты). Две трети городского населения в 2015 г. могли быть доставлены в ближайший ЧКВ-центр за 60 минут и быстрее, а среди сельского населения такую возможность имела только одна пятая часть потенциальных пациентов. Создание 67 новых ЧКВ-центров в тех городских округах, где в настоящий момент имеется их дефицит, увеличит долю населения, находящегося в 60-минутной зоне доезда до ЧКВ- центра, до 62%, что эквивалентно 5,7 млн человек, для которых на данный момент невозможен своевременный доступ к данному виду вмешательства.
 В период между 2010 и 2015 г. происходило значительное, но неравномерные сокращение времени доезда до ЧКВ-центров. Несмотря на позитивные тенденции, Россия еще не приблизилась к уровню доступа, наблюдающегося в сопоставимых странах с большой территорией и неравномерно размещенным населением, таких как Австралия и Канада. Открытие относительно небольшого числа новых ЧКВ-центров (отделений) могло бы существенно улучшить доступ к медицинской помощи, тем самым сократив имеющееся неравенство.

Rapid Aspirin Desensitization is Safe and Feasible in Patients With Stable and Unstable Coronary Artery Disease: A Single-Center Experience.

There are limited data on aspirin (ASA) desensitization for patients with coronary disease. We present our experience with a rapid nurse-led oral desensitization regimen in patients with aspirin sensitivity undergoing coronary angiography. This single-center retrospective observational study includes patients with a history of ASA sensitivity undergoing coronary angiography with intent to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Between January 2012 and January 2017, 24 patients undergoing coronary angiography for stable coronary disease (7 cases) or acute coronary syndromes (non-ST-segment myocardial infarction [NSTEMI; 8 cases], STEMI [9 cases]) underwent aspirin desensitization having reported previous reactions to aspirin. At initial presentation, previous sensitivity reactions were reported as: mucocutaneous reactions in 17 patients (urticaria in 3 [13%], nonurticarial rash in 6 [25%], angio-oedema in 8 [33%]), respiratory sensitivity in 4 (17%), and systemic anaphylactoid reactions in 3 (13%). Seventeen (71%) patients underwent PCI. Desensitization was acutely successful in 22 (92%) patients and unsuccessful in 2 (8%) patients who both had a single short-lived episode of acute bronchospasm treated successfully with nebulized salbutamol. Fifteen successfully desensitized patients completed 12 months of aspirin; no patient had recurrent hypersensitivity reaction. Aspirin was stopped prior to 12 months in 7 patients (replaced by warfarin [1 case], no antiplatelet or single antiplatelet clinically indicated and clopidogrel chosen [4 cases], patient choice without evidence of recurrent hypersensitivity [1 case], and death due to cardiogenic shock following STEMI [1 case]). A rapid aspirin desensitization protocol is safe and effective across a broad spectrum of hypersensitivity reactions and clinical presentations.

To revascularize or not before transcatheter aortic valve implantation?

Concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD) and aortic stenosis occur in approximately 60-75% of patients referred for surgical or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Current guidelines support simultaneous surgical aortic valve replacement and bypass surgery with a class IIa recommendation, based on observational, non-randomized data. With the inception of TAVR, this strategy has been challenged, as observational studies have not shown significant outcome differences in patients with and without CAD treated with TAVR. Performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with aortic stenosis is safe, but the indication and timing remain controversial. Complete revascularization before TAVR with low residual Syntax score (<8) may be considered in selected cases with extensive, proximal, and severe CAD to improve outcomes. PCI before TAVR may require less contrast and reduce the risk of acute kidney injury, but uninterrupted dual antiplatelet therapy may increase the risk of bleeding during TAVR. Combined PCI and TAVR can be considered for unstable patients with simple lesions or ostial lesions, with risk of coronary occlusion after deployment of the transcatheter heart valve. PCI after TAVR may be considered in patients who remain symptomatic with significant residual ischemia despite optimal medical therapy. In the near future, it is expected that randomized clinical trials will further clarify the indications and role of revascularization in patients undergoing TAVR. In this article we provide an extensive review on the management of CAD in TAVR candidates, including additional considerations on technical aspects, device selection, and adjunctive pharmacological therapies.

TCT-824 Statewide Variability in Radiation Doses Exceeding 5 Gy During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Data from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Collaborative (BMC2) Registry

It is unknown whether radiation safety practices that minimize radiation doses are uniformly applied across all institutions performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study was performed to evaluate the institutional variability in high radiation doses administered during PCI in the

TCT-273 Italian Multicenter Registry of Bare Metal Stent Use in Modern Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Era: a multicenter observational study.

New-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) represent the first choice when performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, there are still several clinical scenarios in which interventionists may prefer bare-metal stents (BMS) implantation, mainly because of the need of a very-short dual

Reducing geographic inequalities in access times for acute treatment of myocardial infarction in a large country: the example of Russia.

BackgroundRussia has the largest area of any country in the world and has one of the highest cardiovascular mortality rates. Over the past decade, the number of facilities able to perform percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) has increased substantially. We quantify the extent to which the constraints of geography make equitable access to this effective technology difficult to achieve.MethodsHospitals performing PCIs in 2010 and 2015 were identified and combined with data on the population of districts throughout the country. A network analysis tool was used to calculate road-travel times to the nearest PCI facility for those aged 40+ years.ResultsThe number of PCI facilities increased from 144 to 260 between 2010 and 2015. Overall, the median travel time to the closest PCI facility was 48 minutes in 2015, down from 73 minutes in 2010. Two-thirds of the urban population were within 60 minutes’ travel time to a PCI facility in 2015, but only one-fifth of the rural population. Creating 67 new PCI facilities in currently underserved urban districts would increase the population share within 60 minutes’ travel to 62% of the population, benefiting an additional 5.7 million people currently lacking adequate access.ConclusionsThere have been considerable but uneven improvements in timely access to PCI facilities in Russia between 2010 and 2015. Russia has not achieved the level of access seen in other large countries with dispersed populations, such as Australian and Canada. However, creating a relatively small number of further PCI facilities could improve access substantially, thereby reducing inequality.

Diameter, Vessel Thickness and Angle of Bifurcation of the Radial Artery in Ethiopian Cadavers

Introduction The basic knowledge about the morphology, variation, diameter, and wall thickness of the radial artery is very important for clinicians to make precise decisions in matters such as performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using catheterization. Materials and Methods This was a descriptive study involving the dissection of 78 upper limbs (39 right, 39 left) of the cadavers of 18 adult females and 21 adult males in the age range between 25 and 77 years old whose radial artery and its branches were exposed. The measurement of the radial artery was taken at its origin from the brachial artery at the cubital fossa and at the wrist joint. Results The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the internal diameter of the right radial artery at the wrist joint was 2.79 ± 1.10 mm, and the mean ± (SD) of the internal diameter of the left radial artery at the wrist joint was 2.66 ± 0.94 mm. The paired samples t-test showed that this difference was not statistically significant (t-test [t] [degree of freedom (df) = 38] = 1.19; p-value = 0.24). The mean ± SD of the left internal diameter of the radial artery at the wrist joint was 2.56 ± 1.06 mm in males, and 2.77 ± 0.80 mm in females. This difference was also not statistically significant (t [df = 37] = -0.68; p = 0.12). There was also no significant difference in vessel thickness and in the bifurcation angle either between the left and right limbs or between genders. Conclusion The diameter of the radial artery in the Ethiopian population is comparable to that of other populations, and its size is adequate for the most commonly used radial catheters.

CRT-100.82 Impact of Increasing Body Mass Index on Physician Radiation Exposure During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Considering that obese patients emit greater amounts of scatter radiation during fluoroscopic procedures, it is possible that the growing obesity epidemic could adversely affect the occupational health of physicians performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study was performed to

Acute Myocardial Infarction as the Initial Manifestation of Delayed Bioprosthesis Thrombosis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Bioprosthesis thrombosis after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) raised concerns about further clinical events. We report the case of a patient who suffered acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after TAVR for 3 years. Thrombosis was confirmed in the right coronary sinus of Valsalva by transthoracic echocardiography. Coronary angiography demonstrated the ostium of the right coronary artery was occluded. As an attempt to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was unsuccessful, long-term therapeutic anticoagulation with warfarin was undertaken. Within 2 weeks, symptoms were relieved, and the right coronary ostium thrombus disappeared on computed tomography (CT) angiography. This case highlights the AMI as initial manifestation of delayed bioprosthesis thrombosis and the importance of anticoagulation against the bioprosthesis thrombosis. Meanwhile, the difficulty of PCI after TAVR is not only the stent frame of bioprosthesis, but also the location of the thrombosis.

GW28-e0901 Pre-hospital medication utilization in patients occurring repeat myocardial infarction within one year after PCI: findings from CCC-ACS project

This study aimed to evaluate the pre-hospital medication utilization in patients occurring repeat myocardial infarction (MI) within one year after performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and the possible factors associated with medication adherence. A nation-wide registry study,

Effect of part-time cardiac catheterization facilities in patients with acute myocardial infarction

BackgroundAlthough the easy availability of invasive cardiac care facilities is associated with an increase in their use, their influence on outcomes is not clear. We sought to investigate whether a newly available cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on a part-time (PT) basis might improve outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MethodsThis was an observational cohort study that included all consecutive patients with AMI admitted to a secondary-level hospital in Spain before and after the PT-CCL opened in January 2006: during 1998–2005 and 2006–2014, respectively. All-cause in-hospital and long-term mortality were the co-primary endpoints. In-hospital complications and length of stay were secondary endpoints. For the analyses, patients were stratified according to propensity-score (PS) quintiles. ResultsA total of 5339 patients were recruited, and 50.3% were managed after the opening of the PT-CCL. The PT-CCL was associated with greater use of PCI (81.2 vs. 32.5%, p<0.001) and guidelines-recommended medication (all p<0.001), lower risk of recurrent angina (PS-adjusted RR=0.160, 95% CI 0.115–0.222) and shorter length of hospital stay (PS-adjusted RR for length of stay <8days=0.357, 95% CI 0.301–0.422). In patients with NSTEMI, PT-CCL was associated with improved long-term survival (PS-adjusted HR=0.764, 95% CI 0.602–0.970). ConclusionsIn patients with AMI, a new PT-CCL was associated with greater use of PCI and guideline-recommended medication, lower risk of recurrent angina and shorter length of hospital stay. In a subset of patients with NSTEMI, PT-CCL was associated with improved long-term survival.

How to Approach a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: An Up-To-Date

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a separation of the coronary wall layers, not related to trauma, medical procedures or atherosclerosis. The dissection causes the blood entry in the vascular wall with the consequent formation of a false lumen and intramural hematoma (IMH). Two pathogenetic mechanisms have been proposed to explain SCAD: a “primary” rupture of coronary endothelium or the rupture of the “vasa vasorum”. Clinical presentation and severity of manifestations are variable, ranging from complete absence of symptoms to acute coronary syndrome (ACS), cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death. Despite coronary angiography is the first-line examination, by supplying two-dimensional images of the lumen, it does not always allow an incontrovertible diagnosis of SCAD. New intravascular imaging techniques, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), have been recently introduced and may be extremely helpful in assessing the coronary wall integrity, thus improving coronary angiography diagnostic accuracy. Because of the lack of large randomized trials comparing different strategies, the optimal treatment of SCAD is still controversial. The first-line approach is conservative and based on medical therapy. Nevertheless, in particular situations an invasive approach is necessary. In the last years, several new strategies have improved the way to perform percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), such as new generation drug eluting stents (DES), bio-resorbable scaffolds (BRS), sirolimus self-expandable stent (SES), drug eluting balloons (DEB), and cutting balloon. Cardiac artery bypass graft (CABG) is an even more invasive method to restore coronary flow and should be considered in urgent/emergent settings when PCI is not feasible or has failed. Cause the therapeutic approach of SCAD can be substantially different from that of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, an accurate diagnosis is crucial to set up the best treatment strategy.

Whether or not to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on sub-acute coronary occlusion in patients late after myocardial infarction

Despite the almost instinctive tendency of interventional cardiologists to try to reopen important coronary vessels occluded for more than 12 hours post an Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), there are several important studies in literature that show no benefit in percutaneous treatment over that of optimized medical therapy regarding general mortality, reinfarction, or heart failure for patients with sub-acute coronary artery occlusion (from more than 12 hours to less than 3 months after an index AMI). The conclusion of prior studies not only demonstrates no benefit, but also the harm that can be caused by this conduct because of its greater tendency towards re-infarction in the group submitted to the intervention (angioplasty with or without stent implantation). Despite this evidence, most interventional cardiologists believe that an attempt at recanalization should be made on patients with a large extent of myocardial viability.

Temporal Trends of Reperfusion Strategies and Hospital Mortality for Patients With STEMI in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention–Capable Hospitals

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to examine temporal trends and provincial variations in reperfusion strategies and in-hospital mortality among patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) at hospitals in Canada capable of performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). MethodsWe included patients aged ≥ 20 years who were hospitalized between fiscal years 2009 and 2013 in all provinces except Quebec. We categorized patients as receiving fibrinolysis (lysis), primary PCI (pPCI), or no reperfusion. Patients undergoing lysis were further categorized as (1) lysis + PCI ≤ 90 minutes, (2) lysis + PCI > 90 minutes, and (3) lysis only. Patients undergoing pPCI were further categorized as (1) pPCI ≤ 90 minutes and (2) pPCI > 90 minutes. We used logistic regression to examine the baseline-adjusted association between reperfusion strategy and in-hospital mortality. ResultsAmong 44,650 STEMI episodes in 44,373 patients, 66.3% received pPCI (annual increase of 7.8%; P < 0.001). British Columbia had the highest (81.4%) rates of pPCI and New Brunswick had the lowest rates (30.2%). In-hospital mortality ranged from a high of 16.3% among patients receiving no reperfusion to a low of 1.9% among patients receiving lysis + PCI > 90 minutes (adjusted odds ratio of 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-0.55 compared with pPCI ≤ 90 minutes). ConclusionsThe use of pPCI in STEMI has increased significantly in Canada; however, significant interprovincial variation remains. Changes in reperfusion strategies do not appear to have had an impact on in-hospital mortality rates. Patients who underwent lysis followed by PCI in a systematic fashion had the lowest mortality.

Risk of cancer among cardiologists who frequently perform percutaneous coronary interventions: a population-based study.

Cardiologists who frequently perform percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) are exposed to high levels of radiation; therefore, their risk of cancer may be higher compared with other internists or cardiologists who perform fewer PCIs. Data were obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for the 2000-2011 period. A cohort of 542 cardiologists was randomly frequency-matched according to age and sex with four other internists to form a cohort of noncardiologist controls. The incidence of cancer was measured for both cohorts, who were followed up until the end of 2011. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to analyse the risk of cancer between cardiologist and control cohorts. In general, the cardiologists did not have a higher risk of cancer compared with the other internists. However, the cardiologists who worked in medical centres or regional hospitals had a higher risk of cancer than did the other internists in the same work settings. Furthermore, the cardiologists working in medical centres or regional hospitals (large hospitals) who performed >15 PCIs per year had a higher risk of cancer than did those working in district hospitals (small hospitals) or clinics who performed ≤15 PCIs per year. Cardiologists who frequently perform PCIs have a higher risk of cancer compared with other internists or cardiologists who perform relatively fewer PCIs. Protection from radiation exposure should therefore be emphasized in coronary catheterization laboratories.