Here is the solution for you
$sql="SELECT count(*) FROM [tablename] WHERE key == ? ";
$sth = $this->db->prepare($sql);
$sth->execute(array($key));
$rows = $sth->fetch(PDO::FETCH_NUM);
echo $rows[0];
Here is the solution for you
$sql="SELECT count(*) FROM [tablename] WHERE key == ? ";
$sth = $this->db->prepare($sql);
$sth->execute(array($key));
$rows = $sth->fetch(PDO::FETCH_NUM);
echo $rows[0];