Zhang, Yao‐Jun

Background— There is a paucity of data on the use of optimal medical therapy (OMT) in patients with complex coronary artery disease undergoing revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and its long-term prognostic significance. Methods and Results— The Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) trial is a multicenter, randomized, clinical trial of patients (n=1800) with complex coronary disease randomized to revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention or CABG. Detailed drug history was collected for all patients at discharge and at the 1-month, 6-month, 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year follow-ups. OMT was defined as the combination of at least 1 antiplatelet drug, statin, β-blocker, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker. Five-year clinical outcomes were stratified by OMT and non-OMT. OMT was underused in patients treated with coronary revascularization, especially CABG. OMT was an independent predictor of survival. OMT was associated with a significant reduction in mortality (hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.48–0.85; P =0.002) and composite end point of death/myocardial infarction/stroke (hazard ratio, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.58–0.92; P =0.007) at the 5-year follow-up. The treatment effect with OMT (36% relative reduction in mortality over 5 years) was greater than the treatment effect of revascularization strategy (26% relative reduction in mortality with CABG versus percutaneous coronary intervention over 5 years). On stratified analysis, all the components of OMT were important for reducing adverse outcomes regardless of revascularization strategy. Conclusions— The use of OMT remains low in patients with complex coronary disease requiring coronary intervention with percutaneous coronary intervention and even lower in patients treated with CABG. Lack of OMT is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Targeted strategies to improve OMT use in postrevascularization patients are warranted. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00114972.

ObjectivesTo investigate the prognostic implications of the presence of severe lesion calcification in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operation.BackgroundThere is robust evidence that lesion calcification is a predictor of worse prognosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention; however, there is limited data about the prognostic implication of lesion calcium in patients treated with CABG.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data from 1,545 patients who underwent CABG and were recruited in the SYNTAX study and CABG registry. Two experts reviewed the angiographic data and classified patients in two groups: those with severely calcified coronary arteries and those without severe lesion calcification. Clinical outcomes at 5‐year follow‐up were collected and compared in the two groups.ResultsOne out of three patients exhibited severe lesion calcification (n = 588). Patients with calcified coronaries had an increased mortality at 5‐year follow‐up (17.1% vs. 9.9%, P < 0.001) and a higher event rate of death‐myocardial infarction (MI) compared with those without (19.4% vs. 13.2%, P = 0.003), but there was no statistical significant difference between the two groups for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, 26.8% vs. 21.8%, P = 0.057). In multivariate Cox regression analysis severe lesion calcification was an independent predictor of an increased all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio: 1.39, 95% confidence interval: 1.02–1.89; P = 0.037) but it was not an independent predictor of the combined end‐points death‐MI or MACE.ConclusionsSevere lesion calcification is associated with an increased mortality in patients undergoing CABG, but it is not an independent predictor of death‐MI or MACE. This paradox can be attributed to the fact that CABG allows perfusion of the healthy coronaries bypassing the diseased arteries and thus it minimizes the risk of coronary events due to progressive atherosclerosis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background— The residual Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) Score is an objective measure of the degree and complexity of residual stenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and Results— In the randomized PCI cohort of the SYNTAX Trial (n=903), the baseline and residual SYNTAX Scores were calculated. Subjects with a residual SYNTAX Score of 0 were defined as having undergone complete revascularization (CR), and a residual SYNTAX Score >0 as incomplete revascularization (ICR). Five-year clinical outcomes were stratified by CR and ICR (tertiles of the residual SYNTAX Score: >0–4, >4–8, and >8). In the PCI cohort, the mean baseline and residual SYNTAX Scores were 28.4±11.5 and 4.5±6.9, respectively. The mean Δ SYNTAX Score (representative of the burden of disease removed by PCI) was 23.8±10.9. The residual SYNTAX Score was distributed as follows: CR, 0 (n=386, 42.7%); ICR, >0 to 4 (n=184, 20.4%), >4 to 8 (n=167, 18.5%), >8 (n=153, 16.9%). A progressively higher residual SYNTAX Score was shown to be a surrogate marker of increasing clinical comorbidity and anatomic complexity. Subjects with CR or residual SYNTAX Scores ≤8 had comparable 5-year mortality (CR, 8.5%; residual SYNTAX Score >0–4, 8.7%; >4–8, 11.4%; P =0.60). A residual SYNTAX Score >8 was associated with 35.3% all-cause mortality at 5-years ( P <0.001). Stratified analyses in the predefined medical treated diabetic and left main subgroups yielded similar results. Conclusions— The residual SYNTAX Score was shown to be a powerful indicator of 5-year mortality in the SYNTAX Trial. The residual SYNTAX Score may aid in determining a reasonable level of revascularization. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00114972.