The current American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines recommend that elective percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) should not be performed in institutions without on-site cardiac surgery. We sought to determine the safety of PCI without cardiac surgical support on-site and specifically the safety of complex elective procedures. The results of the first 1000 procedures performed at our institution, which is a rural centre 80km from the nearest cardiac surgical facility, are reported.

Between September 2002 and April 2006 a total of 1000 procedures were performed in 893 patients at our institution. Patients included both high and low risk cohorts. Clinical and procedural outcomes were recorded and analysed.

Of the 921 elective and 79 emergency primary PCI procedures performed, 1138 vessels were treated and 1429 stents deployed. A 95% procedural success rate was recorded. Complex PCI was performed with multi-vessel PCI in 13%, bifurcation PCI in 8%, chronic total occlusions (CTO) in 5%, saphenous vein graft interventions in 5%, unprotected left main interventions in 0.8% and rotational atherectomy in 0.8% of all procedures performed. Of the cohort, 75.3% of the lesions treated were either American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) type B or C lesions.

In the primary PCI group, three deaths and three sub-acute stent occlusions occurred.

In the elective group, the following major complications occurred: one death, three sub-acute stent occlusions, one case of contrast nephropathy requiring short-term dialysis, two cases of cardiac tamponade, two significant femoral pseudo-aneurysms and one misplaced stent. Acute myocardial infarction occurred in 21 patients. There were no urgent transfers for CABG surgery to salvage a complication of PCI.

PCI including high risk elective procedures can safely be performed without on-site cardiac surgery by experienced high volume operators.