Combined and independent impact of coronary artery calcification and inflammation on risk for adverse cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention: Results from a large single‐center registry

Abstract Purpose Our study investigated the impact of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and systemic inflammation on risks for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background CAC and systemic inflammation are known to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Methods A total of 17,711 consecutive patients who underwent PCI in our hospital between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2015 were categorized according to the degree of CAC (moderate/severe vs. none/mild) and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) level (≥2 vs. <2 mg/L). MACE was defined as death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target vessel revascularization (TVR) occurring over 1 year. Results Within the four groups, patients with both moderate/severe CAC and elevated hsCRP ( n = 1,814 [10.2%]) were older with more comorbid risk factors compared to those with moderate/severe CAC alone ( n = 1,687 [9.5%]), elevated hsCRP alone ( n = 7,597 [42.9%]) or neither abnormality ( n = 6,613 [37.3%]). The analogous 1‐year MACE rates were 21.2, 14.9, 11.5, and 7.8%, respectively ( p ‐trend < .001). Results were unchanged after multivariable adjustment, suggesting synergistic adverse effects in patients with both CAC and elevated hsCRP. Conclusions The presence of both moderate/severe CAC and systemic inflammation confers a synergistic effect on risk for MACE following PCI, indicating the need for novel or more intense therapeutic interventions to mitigate risk in such patients.