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Can surgical reconstruction of the left ventricle at the time of coronary artery bypass grafting improve outcomes in patients with depressed LV function? The Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) investigators randomized 1000 patients with LV ejection fractions ≤35% to undergo CABG with or without ventricular reconstruction. The primary outcome was time to either death from any cause or hospitalization for a cardiac event.
Median patient age was 62, and 15% were women. During a median follow-up of 48 months, a primary endpoint occurred in 59% of the CABG-alone group and in 58% of the CABG-plus-reconstruction group. Death occurred in 28% of each group. Symptoms improved similarly in both groups. The increase in distance walked…