Protected PCI in COVID-19 Era: The Rise in Importance of Complete Revascularization

Cindy Grines, MD, FACC, MSCAI, discusses best practices for using percutaneous mechanical circulatory support to enable complete revascularization in complex and sick patients, especially during the current COVID-19 era. She emphasizes the importance of complete revascularization in both stable angina and high-risk PCI patients, as described in a recent SCAI position statement that she coauthored. In addition, Dr. Grines discusses topics including:

• The growing number of undertreated high-risk patients who would likely benefit from more aggressive interventional therapy
• The importance of careful risk assessment to optimize patient safety
• Prioritizing high-risk patients experiencing angina or heart failure symptoms during this COVID-19 era and getting them into the hospital for treatment as quickly as possible
• Increasing procedural safety to reduce the need for ICU admission and shorten length of stay

Dr. Grines is chief scientific officer of Northside Hospital Cardiovascular Institute in Atlanta and president of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Intervention (SCAI).