ACC/AHA classification of coronary lesions reflects medical resource use in current percutaneous coronary interventions

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between ACC/AHA type classification of coronary lesions and medical resource utilization. Background : It is not known whether the classification of coronary lesions by the ACC/AHA system reflects the consumption of medical resources in current percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Methods : We identified coronary artery lesions treated with PCI from our PCI database between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. Lesions were classified into type A, type B1, type B2, and type C according to the ACC/AHA definition. Total PCI cost, total contrast volume, and total fluoroscopy time were compared among the groups. Results : A total of 447 lesions were analyzed. The number of type A, type B1, type B2, and type C lesion were 75 (16.8%), 98 (21.9%), 145 (32.4%), and 129 (28.9%), respectively. Total PCI cost for type A, type B1, type B2, and type C lesions were $7,262 ± 1,397, $8,126 ± 1,891, $9,126 ± 3,128, and $13,243 ± 4,678, respectively (P < 0.0001). Total contrast volume and fluoroscopy time were also stratified according to the order of type A, type B1, type B2, and type C lesions (P < 0.0001 for total contrast volume; P < 0.0001 for total fluoroscopy time). Conclusions : Total PCI cost, total contrast volume, and total fluoroscopy time were clearly stratified according to the order of type A, type B1, type B2, and type C lesions. Lesion classification by the ACC/AHA system reflects medical resource use in current PCI. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.