Loading...
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has survival and MI-prevention benefits in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), and it reduces angina frequency and improves exercise tolerance in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Do the survival and MI-prevention benefits extend to stable CAD patients?
In the COURAGE trial, 2287 patients (mean age, 62; 85% men; 33.5% with diabetes) were randomized to PCI plus optimal medical therapy or to optimal medical therapy alone. All patients had either ≥70% stenosis with objective evidence of ischemia or ≥80% stenosis with classic angina. Patients with a markedly positive stress test or a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <30% were excluded. Enrolled subjects had a mean LVEF…