Why is this study important?  

• Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) of a chronic total occlusion (CTO) is a technically difficult procedure involving prolonged lab time, radiation, and iodine contrast usage. 
• Currently, it is unclear whether a successful intervention of a CTO translates to improved outcomes. 

What question was this study supposed to answer?  

• The current study is a retrospective, single-center observational study that analyzed CTO PCI procedures at a large-volume PCI center. 
• A total of 677 patients were stratified into stented (81.2%) versus non-stented groups. 
• Cardiovascular death and cardiac arrest served as primary outcomes. 

What did the study show?  

• Patients with CTO who had successful stenting had improved long-term outcomes. There was lower cardiovascular death at six months (adjusted odds ratio 0.20, 95% confidence interval 0.06–0.71, p=0.013) and a lower incidence of cardiac arrest at one year (adjusted odds ratio 0.21, 95% confidence interval 0.06–0.72, p=0.019). 
• There was no significant difference in 30-day all-cause mortality or in-hospital complications between the two groups. 

Key Insight: 

In summary, patients with CTO who underwent successful stenting had significantly improved survival and fewer cardiac arrests at one year. There were no significant differences in short-term mortality.