Procedural optimization of drug-coated balloons in the treatment of coronary artery disease

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of procedural optimization on the clinical outcomes of using the drug-coated balloon (DCB) in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

Backgrounds: Procedural optimization is considered an essential step in DCB treatment.

Methods: Data of consecutive patients who underwent DCB treatment at the Seoul National University Hospital were collected. The primary outcome was target lesion failure (TLF) at 2 years.

Results: Among 259 patients (309 lesions), TLF was observed in 31 (12.0%) patients. The following were modifiable procedural factors: residual percent diameter stenosis (%DS) after lesion preparation; DCB-to-vessel/stent ratio; time-delay to inflation; and total DCB inflation time. The best cutoff values for these parameters were 20%, 0.95, 25, and 60 s, respectively. The patients were classified based on the number of procedural factors that satisfied adequate criteria. TLF was observed in 7.3% in the fully optimized group, 9.1% in the partially optimized group, and 34.1% in the nonoptimized group over 2 years (p < .001). The adequacy of the four factors for DCB optimization was an independent predictor of TLF (adjusted hazards ratio for each unmet criteria for optimization, 2.05, 95% confidence interval 1.74-2.36, p < .001).

Conclusion: The optimization of the four procedural factors could reduce TLF following DCB treatment.