Background:
Very little data exists regarding percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as an alternative to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for the treatment of unprotected left main disease (LMD) in octogenarians, and no studies to date have compared CABG and PCI for the treatment of LMD in this population. The objectives of our study were to compare the acute and midterm follow-up results of PCI and CABG for the treatment of significant LMD in octogenarians.
Methods:
A total of 163 consecutive patients ≥80 years old diagnosed with LMD have undergone coronary revascularization in our center between 2002 and 2006. One hundred and one patients underwent CABG and 62 patients had PCI (non-surgical candidates: 30%, very high surgical risk patients: 61%, patient refusal of CABG: 9%). All complications occurring within the first 30 days following the procedure were recorded, and major adverse cardiovascular events -MACCE- (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular event, revascularization) were evaluated at follow-up.
Results:
Patients who underwent PCI were older (85 ± 3 yrs vs. 82 ± 2 yrs, p<0.0001), presented more frequently with an acute coronary syndrome (92% vs. 50%, p<0.0001), and had a higher EuroSCORE (9.5 ± 2.7 vs. 8.5 ± 2.5, p=0.01). Drug-eluting stents were used in 48% of PCI patients. There were no significant differences in the incidence of MACCE at 30 days between groups (CABG: 28%, PCI: 19%, p=0.22), but the CABG group was associated with a higher rate of atrial fibrillation (48% vs. 14%, p<0.0001) and acute renal failure (17% vs. 6%, p=0.05). The incidence of MACCE occurring between 30 days and 24 ± 17 months follow-up was higher in the PCI group (32% vs. 13%, p=0.005), but the cumulative incidence of MACCE was similar in both groups (CABG 39% vs. PCI 44%, p=0.53).
Conclusions:
PCI was associated with a 30-day cardiac event rate similar to that of CABG for the treatment of unprotected LMD in octogenarians. Surgical patients experienced fewer cardiac events during the follow-up period, but the cardiovascular event-free survival rate was similar between groups at 2-year follow-up. Further randomized studies with longer-term follow-up comparing both revascularization strategies in this high risk coronary population are warranted.
Percutaneous coronary intervention in left main disease: 10-year follow-up
