Percutaneous coronary intervention-associated nephropathy foreshadows increased risk of late adverse events in patients with normal baseline serum creatinine.

In patients with chronic renal insufficiency, further decline in renal function (DRF) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is accompanied not only by adverse in-hospital events but also by increased risk of mortality and myocardial infarction at 1 year. This analysis was undertaken to determine if patients with normal renal function who develop DRF after PCI have a comparable increase in risk of death and myocardial infarction at 1 year, and whether this risk is independent of in-hospital complications (death, myocardial infarction, urgent coronary artery bypass grafting). We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients from a single center who underwent successful PCI with no major in-hospital complications who had pre-PCI serum creatinine (SCr) </= 1.2 mg/dl and no history of renal insufficiency. One-year follow-up was obtained by mail or telephone. There were 5,967 consecutive patients who met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 208 (3.5%) developed DRF (an increase in SCr >/= 50% of baseline). They were more likely to be older, female, non-Caucasian, diabetic and/or hypertensive. They reported more prior cerebral or peripheral vascular events. They had undergone more complex PCI and were exposed to more radiographic contrast than the 96.5% who did not develop DRF. After adjustment for baseline variables, DRF remained an independent predictor of 1-year mortality, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization. In patients without prior renal impairment, DRF post-PCI is rare but is associated with an increased risk of late adverse cardiac events similar to that in chronic renal insufficiency patients. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.