Patient-Centered Decision-Making of Revascularization Strategy for Left Main or Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease

Patient preference plays an important role in daily practice; however, its implication has not been well investigated regarding treatment strategy for complex coronary artery disease. We prospectively evaluated a trend of patient-centered decision-making of revascularization strategy in patients with multivessel or unprotected left main coronary artery disease. A standardized protocol that favors coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) as the primary treatment of choice, rather than percutaneous coronary intervention, was adopted. According to the protocol, patients decided whether or not they received CABG. Among the 763 consecutively enrolled patients, 293 patients (38%) consented to receive CABG. Fifty-six percent of patients with a high Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score chose CABG. SYNTAX score was independently correlated with consent to receive CABG in each patient SYNTAX score stratum. In-stent restenosis was an independent predictor of choosing CABG in patients with low and intermediate SYNTAX scores. Unprotected left main coronary artery disease was negatively correlated with the decision to choose CABG in patients with intermediate SYNTAX score. Reasons for declining CABG included refusal of open-heart surgery in 318 patients (68%), mild presentation of angina symptoms in 132 patients (28%), low self-confidence to expect long-term survival in 120 patients (26%), and economic factors in 10 patients (2%). Short-term major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events occurred in about 1% of patients without significant differences between the 2 groups. In conclusion, despite the preferred use of the CABG protocol, more than half of the patients declined CABG. Patient-centered decision-making as well as heart team approach should be considered in real-world practice situations.