Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting vs Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Diabetes

As percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) continues to evolve, comparative outcomes for PCI vs coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remain relevant in diabetic patients. All revascularization procedures in patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus from 2010 to 2018 were included. Propensity matching was used to identify equivalent cohorts to compare revascularization strategies. Primary outcomes included 30-day, 1-year, and 5-year mortality. Multivariable analysis was used to define factors associated with major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). A total of 2869 patients with diabetes were divided into PCI (n = 653) and CABG (n = 2216) cohorts. Propensity matching yielded a 1:1 match consisting of 552 patients in each cohort (CABG vs PCI). Total median follow-up was 3.28 years (range: 1.83-5.00). Following propensity matching in patients with no prior PCI (1:1; n = 279), mortality remained significantly higher in the PCI cohort at 1 year (13.98% vs 7.53%; P = 0.014) and 5 years (26.88% vs 16.85%; P < 0.004). Hospital readmissions were higher for PCI patients at 1 year (16.49% vs 9.32%; P < 0.0122) and 5 years (19.71% vs 11.83%; P = 0.011). MACCE occurred more frequently in the PCI cohort (32.97% vs 21.51%; P = 0.002). Need for subsequent revascularization (6.45% vs 2.51%; P = 0.024) were significantly higher in the PCI cohort, and time interval to revascularization was significantly longer in the CABG cohort (3.48 [2.11-5.17] vs 2.62 [1.33-4.25] years; P < 0.001). The current study reports improved survival, fewer long-term hospital readmissions, and reduced MACCE and need for repeat revascularization in the CABG cohort. Given these data, patients with diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease may fare better with surgical revascularization, compared to PCI.