A new meta-analysis of 27 studies covering 16 registries in the Asia-Pacific region looked at how many people with coronary artery disease died in the hospital after having a procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as angioplasty with stenting. The analysis included data from thousands of patients across the region.
The study found that in-hospital death rates ranged from 0.26% to 2.80%, with most registries reporting rates around 0.9% to 1.6%. These numbers are similar to what has been seen in other parts of the world. The researchers also noted that the percentage of patients having a severe heart attack (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) varied widely, from 6.8% to 58.7%.
Because this was a meta-analysis of registry data, it can only show associations, not cause and effect. The main limitation was that the registries used different methods to collect and define their data, which made it hard to compare results directly across the region.
What this means for patients is that PCI appears to be a safe procedure in the Asia-Pacific region, with death rates in line with international standards. However, the study highlights the need for more uniform data collection to better understand and improve heart care across different countries.
