PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PATIENTS (THE NATIONAL HEART, LUNG AND BLOOD INSTITUTE 1985-1986 PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY REGISTRY)

Although black patients have a higher prevalence of risk factors for c oronary artery disease, the outcome of coronary angioplasty in black p atients is not known. The purpose of this study was to determine if an y racial differences existed in the clinical characteristics and outco me of patients enrolled in the 1985-1986 National Heart, Lung, and Blo od Institute (NHLBI) Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (P TCA) Registry. The clinical characteristics in-hospital event rates, a nd 5-year follow-up results of all patients enrolled ih the 1985-1986 NHLBI PTCA Registry were examined with respect to race. Of the patient s enrolled in the registry, 1,939 (90.8%) were white and 76 (3.6%) wer e black. Among black patients there were more women (50% vs 24%, p <0. 001), and more patients who had hypertension (73% vs 45%, p <0.001) an d diabetes (23% vs 13%, p <0.05). Black patients were more likely to h ave multivessel disease (72% vs 48%, p <0.001). Clinical success rates were similar (76.3% for blacks and 79.3% for whites), but because bla ck patients had more vessels with significant disease, complete revasc ularization was achieved in 26% of black patients compared with 44% of white patients (p <0.001). After the PTCA procedure there was no sign ificant difference in major complications (death, myocardial infarctio n, or emergent coronary artery bypass grafting) between the 2 groups. Five-year follow-up data revealed that there was no significant differ ence in moitality, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft ing, or repeat PTCA. Black patients in the NHLBl PICA Registry had a s imilar incidence of acute and long-term events when compared with whit e patients despite the presence of more cardiovascular risk factors sy mptoms, and multivessel disease.