Stenting vs. Surgery for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

A new study showed no significant differences in rates of death, MI, or stroke between patients who received stents and those who underwent surgery.

Small retrospective and randomized studies recently showed that short-term outcomes among patients treated for left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease were similar whether they underwent percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting (Journal Watch Cardiology Mar 5 2008 and Journal Watch Cardiology Jul 19 2006). To compare longer-term outcomes in a larger cohort, investigators assessed consecutive patients who underwent PCI or CABG for unprotected LMCA disease at any of 12 sites in Korea between 2000 and 2006.

In all, 1102 patients received drug-eluting stents (DES; 71%) or bare-metal stents (BMS; 29%), and 1138 underwent CABG. Ninety-seven percent of stent recipients were eligible for CABG but underwent PCI because o…

Reviewing Author

Howard C. Herrmann, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAffluent Medical; Artedrone; Caranx; Johnson & Johnson; Medtronic; Prolifagen; Wells Fargo

EquityMicrointerventional Devices, Inc.

RoyaltiesUniversity of Pennsylvania

Grant/Research SupportAbbott Vascular; Edwards Lifesciences; Johnson & Johnson; Medtronic

Editorial BoardsCatheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions; Journal of the American College of Cardiology; Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions; JACC Cardiovascular Interventions; JACC Case Reports; JSCAI