Comparison of Stenting Versus Bypass Surgery According to the Completeness of Revascularization in Severe Coronary Artery Disease: Patient-Level Pooled Analysis of the SYNTAX, PRECOMBAT, and BEST Trials

JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2017 Jul 24;10(14):1415-1424. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2017.04.037.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare long-term survival between patients with severe coronary artery disease undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) achieving complete revascularization (CR) or incomplete revascularization.

Background: The importance of CR in decision making regarding revascularization strategy in patients with severe coronary artery disease is unknown.

Methods: Data were pooled from the SYNTAX (Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery), PRECOMBAT (Premier of Randomized Comparison of Bypass Surgery Versus Angioplasty Using Sirolimus-Eluting Stent in Patients With Left Main Coronary Artery Disease), and BEST (Randomized Comparison of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery and Everolimus-Eluting Stent Implantation in the Treatment of Patients With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease) trials. The primary outcome was death from any cause and was compared in an as-treated analysis.

Results: The rate of CR was 61.7% (57.2% with PCI and 66.8% with CABG). During a median 4.9-year follow-up period (interquartile range: 4.5 to 5.0 years), compared with patients undergoing CABG with CR, those undergoing PCI with incomplete revascularization had a higher risk for death from any cause (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03 to 2.00; p = 0.036) and the composite of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke (aHR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.92; p = 0.003). However, there was no significant difference between patients undergoing CABG with CR and those undergoing PCI with CR regarding the risk for death from any cause (aHR: 1.16; 95% CI: 0.83 to 1.63; p = 0.39) and the composite of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke (aHR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.87 to 1.48; p = 0.35). Subgroup analysis of multivessel coronary disease, high SYNTAX score (>32), and diabetes showed consistent findings.

Conclusions: For the treatment of left main or multivessel coronary artery disease, PCI resulting in CR was associated with a similar long-term survival rate to CABG resulting in CR. Therefore, the ability to achieve CR should enter into the decision algorithm for choice of revascularization strategy.

Keywords: bypass surgery; coronary artery disease; stenting.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Algorithms
  • Clinical Decision-Making
  • Coronary Artery Bypass* / adverse effects
  • Coronary Artery Bypass* / mortality
  • Coronary Artery Disease / diagnostic imaging
  • Coronary Artery Disease / mortality
  • Coronary Artery Disease / surgery
  • Coronary Artery Disease / therapy*
  • Decision Support Techniques
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / etiology
  • Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / adverse effects
  • Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / instrumentation*
  • Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / mortality
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Risk Factors
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Stents*
  • Stroke / etiology
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome