Short-Term Outcome After Left Main Interventions in Patients Presenting With Acute Coronary Syndrome

To assess the efficacy and safety of coronary left main (LM) disease interventions in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) as compared to those without LM coronary artery disease.

A total of 2899 patients with ACS, enrolled in the prospective Swiss Program University Medicine ACS (SPUM-ACS) cohort, were included. The primary endpoints of independently adjudicated major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) and net adverse clinical event (NACE) were determined at 30-day follow-up.

Seventy-one (2.0%) of the 2899 ACS patients had significant LM disease. At 30-day follow-up, the primary outcomes of MACCE and NACE occurred in 140 patients (4.8%) and 272 patients (9.4%), respectively. Compared to those without LM disease, patients in the LM group were significantly older (P<.001), had a higher incidence of hypertension (P<.001) and diabetes (P=.013), and more often had a history of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (P<.001). Analyses on non-matched populations showed a nearly significant trend toward a higher incidence of MACCE (P=.06) and NACE (P=.10) in patients with LM disease compared to those without LM disease. This trend, however, disappeared after matching the populations for all significant confounding variables on a 3:1 basis. This subanalysis showed MACCE rates of 10.0% in the LM group and 7.3% in the non-LM group (P=.61). Notably, the matched patients with LM disease treated with percutaneous coronary intervention had a lower NACE incidence when compared to those undergoing urgent CABG surgery (P<.01).

In ACS patients with LM disease, revascularization with PCI is feasible and safe, with short-term outcomes comparable to ACS patients without significant LM disease.