Fractional Flow Reserve to Guide Treatment of Patients With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease

Gilles Rioufol1, François Dérimay1, François Roubille2

  • 1Hôpital Cardiologique et Pneumologique Louis Pradel, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France.

Insights

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) guidance did not reduce major adverse cardiac events in multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). The FUTURE trial found FFR reduced revascularization rates but showed no significant difference in ischemic events or death.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Clinical Trials

Background:

  • Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of fractional flow reserve (FFR) in guiding treatment strategies for multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD).
  • Previous studies have not conclusively established FFR's role beyond selecting candidates for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate if an FFR-guided treatment strategy is superior to a traditional strategy without FFR in managing multivessel CAD.
  • To assess the impact of FFR on major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and revascularization rates.

Main Methods:

  • The FUTURE trial was a prospective, randomized, open-label superiority trial involving patients with multivessel CAD.
  • Participants were randomized to an FFR-guided strategy (revascularization for lesions with FFR ≤0.80) or a traditional strategy.
  • The primary endpoint was a composite of MACCE at 1-year follow-up.

Main Results:

  • The trial was stopped prematurely; 927 patients were enrolled.
  • No significant difference in MACCE rates was observed between the FFR-guided group (14.6%) and the control group (14.4%) at 1 year (HR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.69-1.36).
  • FFR significantly reduced revascularization rates (P=0.02), leading to more patients receiving medical management.

Conclusions:

  • An FFR-guided treatment strategy did not demonstrate superiority over a traditional approach in reducing ischemic cardiovascular events or death in patients with multivessel CAD at 1-year follow-up.
  • While FFR effectively reduced revascularization procedures, it did not translate to improved clinical outcomes regarding major adverse events.
Abstract

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