BACKGROUND: Smoking is an important atherothrombotic risk factor, observed in one third of patients undergoing per-cutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at our service. The objective of the present study was to analyze the clinical angiographic profile and the results of the procedure in this population. METHOD: From January 2002 to October 2009, 5,466 PCI procedures were carried out, of which 1,745 in smokers and 3,721 in non-smokers. All data were prospectively obtained and patients were followed-up during hospitalization. RESULTS: In the group of smokers, there was prevalence of males (75.2% vs. 62.1%; P < 0.001), younger patients (56.4 years vs. 64.5 years; P < 0.001), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with ST-segment elevation (37.5% vs. 19.5%; P < 0.001), single-vessel disease (56.5% vs. 47%; P < 0.001), long lesions (14.7% vs. 12%; P < 0.001), bifurcations (5.6% vs. 3.9%; P = 0.002), thrombotic lesions (15.4% vs. 9%; P < 0.001), total occlusions (18.2% vs. 11.2%; P < 0.001) and greater use of IIb/IIIa inhibitors (2.5% vs. 1.6%; P = 0.04). Clinical success (96.5% vs. 96.1%; P = 0.5) as well as the need of emergency surgical revascularization (0.06% vs. 0.05%; P = 0.22), AMI (0.74% vs. 1.02%; P = 0.32) or death (0.63% vs. 0.73%; P = 0.69) were similar in both groups. Smokers, however, showed a trend towards a greater number of strokes during hospitalization (0.11% vs. 0.05%; P = 0.07). CONCLUSION: Smokers undergoing coronary angioplasty are eight years younger than non-smokers, present AMI with ST-segment elevation more frequently and have greater angiographic complexity. The use of modern technological resources allowed comparable in-hospital results, with the exception of stroke, whose incidence tends to be twice as high in smokers.
Smoking; Angioplasty, transluminal, percutaneous coronary; Stents
