Letter re: Misidentification of Transcarotid Artery Revascularization by Current Procedural Terminology

Document Type

Letter to the Editor

Publication Date

3-25-2024

Journal

Vascular and endovascular surgery

DOI

10.1177/15385744241241856

Keywords

carotid stenosis; current procedural terminology; endovascular; transcarotid artery revascularization

Abstract

In this letter, we discussed the selection of patients undergoing Transcarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR) using the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. We examined a previous study using CPT code 37215 to identify TCAR cases using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. As an ACS-NSQIP participating site, we have complete access to the ACS-NSQIP database, and we performed a more in-depth examination of the method. We found significant discrepancies in the method described and conclude that it is methodologically flawed to use CPT code 37215 to differentiate TCAR cases. This study not only re-evaluates the validity of the previous study but also has the potential to prevent other researchers from employing the erroneous methodology for TCAR selection using the CPT code, which is one of the most widely used standardizations of medical communication for surgical procedures. This is particularly pertinent given the recent "TCAR revolution", where significant attention has been focused on TCAR.

Department

Surgery

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