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Author Spotlight: Enhancing Coronary Artery Revascularization
Published on: September 15, 2023
The Impact of Complete Revascularization in Symptomatic Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction between Coronary Artery
Hsiu-Yu Fang1,2, Yen-Nan Fang1, Yin-Chia Chen3
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Insights
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) showed lower heart failure hospitalization rates compared to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction and coronary artery disease. Extensive revascularization is key for better outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Interventional Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and coronary artery disease (CAD) present significant clinical challenges.
- Comparing surgical (coronary artery bypass surgery - CABG) and interventional (percutaneous coronary intervention - PCI) revascularization strategies is crucial for optimizing patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the clinical outcomes of CABG versus PCI in patients with symptomatic severe LV dysfunction and CAD.
- To evaluate the impact of revascularization strategy on heart failure hospitalizations and other adverse events.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study including 116 patients with reduced LV ejection fraction (<40%) and SYNTAX score >22.
- Patients were divided into two groups: CABG (N=47) and PCI (N=69).
- Exclusion criteria included prior cardiac surgery, valvular heart disease, and ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in in-hospital outcomes, mortality, or 1-year rates of myocardial infarction, revascularization, or stroke.
- The 1-year and 3-year heart failure (HF) hospitalization rates were significantly lower in the CABG group compared to the overall PCI group (p=0.035 and p=0.008, respectively).
- The revascularization index was significantly higher in the CABG group.
Conclusions:
- CABG demonstrated a reduced rate of heart failure hospitalizations compared to PCI in this patient cohort.
- However, this benefit was not observed when comparing CABG to a subgroup of PCI patients who achieved complete revascularization.
- Extensive revascularization, whether by CABG or PCI, is associated with lower HF hospitalization rates in patients with severe LV dysfunction and CAD.
Objective:
The study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between the patients receiving coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for the patients with symptomatic severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and coronary artery disease (CAD).
Methods:
Between February 2007 and February 2020, a total of 745 patients who received coronary artery angiography for reduced LV ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40% and symptomatic New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class ≥ 3 were recruited. The patients (N = 236) who were diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy or valvular heart disease without coronary artery stenosis, those with prior history of CABG or valvular surgery (N = 59), those who presented ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), those with a CAD and SYNTAX score of ≦ 22 (N = 175), those who received emergent CABG for coronary perforation (N = 3), and those who had NYHA class ≦ 2 (N = 65) were excluded. Finally, 116 patients with reduced LVEF and those who had a SYNTAX score >22, who received CABG (N = 47) and PCI (N = 69), were recruited for this study.
Results:
There was no significant difference in the incidence values of in-hospital course and those of in-hospital mortality, acute kidney injury, and postprocedural hemodialysis. There was no significant difference in the 1-yearfollow-up of recurrent MI, revascularization, or stroke between the groups. The 1-year heart failure (HF) hospitalization rate was significantly lower in the CABG group than in all patients of the PCI group (13.2% vs. 33.3%; p = 0.035); however, there was no significant difference in the same variable between the CABG group and the complete revascularization subgroup (13.2% vs. 28.2%; p = 0.160). The revascularization index (RI) was significantly higher in the CABG group than in all patients of the PCI group or complete revascularization subgroup (0.93 ± 0.12 vs. 0.71 ± 0.25; p < 0.001) and (0.93 ± 0.12 vs. 0.86 ± 0.13; p = 0.019). The 3-year HF hospitalization rate was significantly lower in the CABG group than in all patients of the PCI group (16.2% vs. 42.2%; p = 0.008); however, there was no difference in the same variable between the CABG group and the complete revascularization subgroup (16.2% vs. 35.1%; p = 0.109).
Conclusions:
In patients with symptomatic (NYHA class ≥ 3) severe LV dysfunction and CAD, CABG brought less HF admission when compared to patients in the PCI group, but this did not differ when compared to the complete revascularization subgroup. Therefore, an extensive revascularization, achieved by CABG or PCI, is associated with a lower HF hospitalization rate during the 3-yearfollow-up period in such populations.
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