Predicting and preventing vascular complications following percutaneous coronary intervention in women

The development of vascular complications is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. While the incidence of percutaneous coronary intervention-related vascular complications has greatly improved over time, female sex still persists as a significant and independent predictor of periprocedural vascular complications, which in turn is associated with a greater risk of short- and long-term mortality. This review provides a contemporary overview of the data on the important issues regarding the risk of percutaneous coronary intervention in women. It examines the intrinsic sex-related factors that may be contributing to women's heightened bleeding risk while also examining the various pharmacologic and procedural bleeding avoidance strategies currently in the literature, with a focus on their potential role and benefit in women specifically.