Learn More About Calcium

Calcium is More Common Than You Think

In the United States, over 30% of all patients treated for PCI present with some degree of calcium. This represents a 31% increase over the last two decades alone. Patient complexity is increasing; risk factors such as an aging population, renal failure, hypertension, and an increasing prevalance of Type C lesions indicate that calcific lesions will continue to be present.¹

This represents a 31% increase over the last two decades alone.

Calcium Can Present Complications

A range of complications can arise during a procedure, including: dissection during balloon angioplasty or pre-dilatation², difficulty with complete dilation³, inhibition of adequate stent expansion⁴, prevention of stent delivery to the desired location⁵, stent under expansion or malapposition⁶, insufficient drug penetration and subsequent restenosis⁷.

Incomplete dilation³

Inadequate stent expansion⁴

Stent malapposition⁶

Calcium is a Predictor of Worse Outcomes

Calcium can also have a major impact on long-term outcomes.

Moderate to severe calcium creates a significantly higher chance of complications like MI, TLR, MACE and death.⁸

Target vessel failure is higher in cases with severe calcification. At two years, TVF was 16.4% for those with severe calcification vs. 9.8% than those without severe calcification.⁹