ACC 2026 — Prof Divaka Perera (Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital and King's College London, UK) joins us to discuss findings from the CHIP-BCIS3 trial, examining the role of percutaneous left ventricular unloading in patients undergoing high-risk coronary intervention.

This phase 3 randomised controlled trial enrolled 300 patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction and extensive coronary artery disease across UK centres. Patients were randomised to elective LV unloading with a percutaneous device prior to high-risk PCI, or standard of care alone. The primary outcome was a composite hierarchical endpoint — including death, stroke, spontaneous myocardial infarction, cardiovascular hospitalisation, and periprocedural MI — analysed using a Win Ratio method over a minimum 12 months of follow-up.

Findings showed that the microaxial flow pump did not reduce the risk of major adverse clinical outcomes at 12 months. 

Interview Questions:

1. What key clinical gap in high‑risk PCI were you hoping CHIP‑BCIS3 would address?  
2. How would you describe the typical CHIP‑BCIS3 patient in everyday practice?  
3. What are the main messages of the trial design that you’d like operators to understand?  
4. What did you learn from the primary outcome results?  
5. How, if at all, has CHIP‑BCIS3 changed your own approach to planning high‑risk PCI?  
6. On a practical level, what should interventional cardiologists do differently on Monday morning after seeing these data?

Recorded at ACC 2026, New Orleans.

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Editor: Jordan Rance
Videographer: Mike Knight, David Ben-Harosh

Support: This is an independent interview produced by Radcliffe Cardiology.