Registry Data Explores Current Practice of Endovascular Therapy in Korea

In this Q&A, Donghoon Choi, MD, PhD, comments on data from the Korean Vascular Intervention Society Endovascular Therapy in Lower Limb Artery Diseases (K-VIS ELLA) Registry. Dr Choi is the Director of Severance Cardiovascular Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, and he is part of a group that recently published data from the registry. The registry includes patients with lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) undergoing endovascular treatment and is a multicenter, observational study with retrospective and prospective cohorts. The recently published data detail characteristics of the retrospective cohort. Dr Choi spoke about the registry data at the 2018 International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET), in Hollywood, Florida.

VDM: Why did you choose to pursue an analysis of the registry data?

Dr Choi: With the development of newer devices and techniques for endovascular therapy, more complex lesions are increasingly being treated with endovascular options. However, little is known regarding current practice patterns and outcomes of endovascular therapy in Korea. Thus, we established a Korean multicenter registry containing both a retrospective and a prospective cohort to address this issue. The present study is the first report on the baseline characteristics of the retrospective cohort conducted nationwide.

VDM: Can you briefly describe what you learned from the review?

Dr Choi: The majority of Korean patients with PAD exhibited conventional risk factors, such as male gender, older age, diabetes, and hypertension, and had coexisting coronary artery disease. Complex lesions were frequently treated with endovascular therapy. However, the rate of adherence to guidelines regarding postprocedural medical treatment should be improved in the future.

VDM: When reviewing the data, did you encounter anything that was surprising?

Dr Choi: Patients receiving endovascular therapy had lower prescription rates of dual-antiplatelet therapy and statins than expected. At hospital discharge, only 73.1% of patients received dual-antiplatelet therapy, and only 69.2% received a statin.

VDM: How can the findings from your review improve clinical practice?

Dr Choi: We believe that the results of this study will improve the prescription rates of statin and dual-antiplatelet therapy after the procedure and consequently improve the prognosis of the patients.

VDM: Based on your review, what research gaps would you like to see addressed?

Dr Choi: This study has intrinsic limitations related to its retrospective study design, such as selection bias or missing value. However, future prospective studies will be conducted to correct this gap.

VDM: What are you hoping that attendees take away from your presentation?

Dr Choi: This is the first retrospective study of patients with lower-extremity PAD undergoing endovascular treatment in Korea, showing how endovascular therapy has been performed and what has been achieved in patients with lower- extremity PAD. For this reason, this study is expected to be helpful in the present and future in places where endovascular therapy is being performed more frequently.

- Interview by Lauren LeBano

REFERENCE

KoYG, Ahn CM, Min PK, et al. Baseline characteristics of a retrospective patient cohort in the KoreanVascular Intervention Society Endovascular Therapy in Lower Limb Artery Diseases (K-VIS ELLA) registry. Korean Circ J. 2017;47:469-476.