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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Revascularization options in patients with chronic kidney disease
Guha Ashrith1, MacArthur A Elayda, James M Wilson
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Insights
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis face high cardiovascular mortality. Coronary revascularization may improve survival, but optimal strategy between percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting remains unclear.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Vascular Surgery
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis.
- CKD is a significant risk factor for accelerated atherosclerosis.
- Major clinical trials often exclude patients with renal insufficiency, limiting evidence-based treatment guidelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review revascularization options for CKD patients with coronary artery disease.
- To discuss outcomes and risk factors associated with revascularization procedures in this population.
- To address the uncertainty regarding percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature, including retrospective observational studies and small comparative studies.
- Analysis of outcomes data for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing revascularization.
- Consideration of the impact of new technologies like drug-eluting stents.
Main Results:
- Observational data suggest revascularization improves survival in ESRD patients with severe coronary disease compared to medical therapy.
- Retrospective studies indicate CABG may offer better long-term survival than PCI, potentially due to poorer PCI outcomes in CKD/ESRD patients.
- Existing randomized trial data comparing PCI and CABG may not be applicable due to outdated techniques (bare-metal stents).
Conclusions:
- Coronary revascularization is a consideration for CKD patients with significant coronary artery disease.
- Further prospective studies are needed to definitively compare PCI and CABG in the era of drug-eluting stents.
- Identifying and mitigating risk factors for adverse outcomes is crucial for optimizing revascularization in this high-risk group.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients who have chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease and are undergoing hemodialysis. Chronic kidney disease is a recognized risk factor for premature atherosclerosis. Unfortunately, most major randomized clinical trials that form the basis for evidence-based use of revascularization procedures exclude patients who have renal insufficiency. Retrospective, observational studies suggest that patients with end-stage renal disease and severe coronary occlusive disease have a lower risk of death if they undergo coronary revascularization rather than medical therapy alone. Due to a lack of prospective studies, however, the relative merits of percutaneous versus surgical revascularization are merely a matter of opinion. Several small, retrospective studies have shown that coronary artery bypass grafting is associated with higher procedural death but better long-term survival than is percutaneous coronary intervention. This difference appears to result from poor long-term results of percutaneous coronary intervention in patients who have chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease.Because randomized trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting have included patients undergoing balloon angioplasty and placement of bare-metal stents, their conclusions are suspect in the era of drug-eluting stents. In this review, we discuss different revascularization options for patients with chronic kidney disease, the outcomes of revascularization procedures, and the risk factors for adverse outcomes.
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