Background. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) practice and outcomes vary substantially in different parts of the world. The contemporary data of PCI in Asia are limited and only available from developed Asian countries. Objectives. To explore the pattern of practice and results of PCI procedures in Thailand as well as a temporal change of PCI practice over time compared with the registry from other countries. Methods. Thai PCI Registry is a prospective nationwide registry that was an initiative of the Cardiac Intervention Association of Thailand (CIAT). All cardiac catheterization laboratories in Thailand were invited to participate during 2018-2019, and consecutive PCI patients were enrolled and followed up for 1 year. Patient baseline characteristics, procedural details, equipment and medication use, outcomes, and complications were recorded. Results. Among the 39 hospitals participated, there were 22,741 patients included in this registry. Their mean age (standard deviation) was 64.2 (11.7) years and about 70% were males. The most common presentation was acute coronary syndrome (57%) with a high proportion of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (28%). Nearly two-thirds of patients had multivessel disease and significant left main stenosis was reported in 11%. The transradial approach was used in 44.2%. The procedural success rate was very high (95.2%) despite the high complexity of the lesions (56.9% type C lesion). The incidence of procedural complications was 5.3% and in-hospital mortality was 2.8%. Conclusion. Thai PCI Registry provides further insights into the current practice and outcomes of PCI in Southeast Asia. The success rate was very high, and the complications were very low despite the high complexity of the treated lesions.

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Nowadays, current evidence on the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients is discrepant. The aim of this study was to compare and identify any changes in STEMI patients between the pre-COVID-19 period and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate consecutive STEMI patients admitted from 1 September 2018 to 30 September 2021. We designated 14 March 2020 as the commencement of the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand. Results: A total of 513 consecutive STEMI patients were included in this study: 330 (64%) admitted during the pre-COVID-19 outbreak period and 183 (36%) admitted during the COVID-19 outbreak. There was a significant 45% decline in the number of STEMI cases admitted during the COVID-19 outbreak period. During the outbreak, STEMI patients had significantly increased intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) insertion (23% vs. 15%, p-value = 0.004), higher high-sensitivity troponin T level (11,150 vs. 5213, p-value < 0.001), and lower pre- and post-PCI TIMI flow. The time-to-diagnosis (59 vs. 7 min, p-value < 0.001), pain-to-first medical contact (FMC) time (250 vs. 214 min, p-value = 0.020), FMC-to-wire-crossing time (39 vs. 23 min, p-value < 0.001), and pain-to-wire-crossing time (292 vs. 242 min, p-value = 0.005) were increased in STEMI patients during the outbreak compared with pre-outbreak. There was no statistical difference in in-hospital mortality between both periods (p-value = 0.639). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 outbreak, there was a significant decline in the total number of admitted STEMI cases. Unfortunately, the time-to-diagnosis, pain-to-FMC time, FMC-to-wire-crossing time, and pain-to-wire-crossing time were significantly delayed during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, in-hospital mortality showed no significant differences between these two time periods. Highlights: 45% decline in the number of STEMI cases admitted and a significant delay in the treatment timeline during the COVID-19 outbreak. In-hospital mortality showed no significant difference between these two periods. Our study will motivate healthcare professionals to optimize treatments, screenings, and infectious control protocols to reduce the time from the onset of chest pain to wire crossing in STEMI patients during the outbreak.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is currently the main revascularization modality for these patients. The practice of PCI, outcomes and resource utilization varies in many parts of the world. Therefore, it is important to have local information regarding the patient demographics, pattern of PCI practice, and outcomes. Objective: To report the study design, protocol and rationale of the Thai PCI registry. Materials and Methods: Thai PCI Registry is a prospective, multi-center study which is an initiative project of the Cardiac Intervention Association of Thailand (CIAT). The study consisted of phase I for cross-sectional data registry and phase II for follow up study. The project was started in November 2015. All catheterization laboratories in Thailand were invited to participate in this nationwide registry. The details regarding patient characteristics, procedural details, equipment, and outcomes of PCI were prospectively collected using well-constructed case record form. The protocol of the registry has been approved by the Central Research Ethics Committee (CREC). The project received a research grant from the Health System Research Institute, The Ministry of Public Health, in Thailand, March 2017. Results: There were 39 hospitals from all areas of the country participated in the registration. The hospital type and size were varied and well represented of the PCI centers in Thailand. The registry planned to enroll all consecutive PCI patients at each hospital for approximately one year with the estimated number of PCI at 22,000 procedures. Initially, all patients were followed up for at least 6 and 12 months. Conclusion: The present study provides rationale, protocol, definition and study design of Thai PCI registry. The results of the Thai PCI registry would yield the essential information regarding the current real-world practice as well as the results and complications of PCI. Keywords: Coronary angioplasty; Nationwide registry; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Thailand; Real-world