Does Elective PCI Improve Clinical Outcomes?

Early benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention compared with medical therapy were sustained at 5 years, but reductions in death or myocardial infarction remain elusive.

Although percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reduces rates of death or myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), its benefits for patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) are less certain, with only relief of angina a proven benefit. Now, investigators have presented 5-year results of the industry-funded, nonblinded FAME-2 trial, in which 888 patients with stable CAD and at least one hemodynamically significant coronary stenosis were randomized to PCI plus medical therapy or medical therapy alone. Hemodynamic significance was defined as a fractional flow reserve (FFR) ≤0.80; FFR is an invasive measure obtained using a pressure-tipped guidewire at the time of coronary angiography.

At 5-year fol…

Reviewing Author

David J. Cohen, MD, MSc

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMedtronic; Edwards Lifesciences; Abbott Vascular; Boston Scientific; St. Francis Hospital

Speaker’s BureauBoston Scientific; ZOLL Medical

Grant/Research SupportEdwards Lifesciences; Abbott Vascular; Boston Scientific; Corvia Medical; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Phillips, Inc.; St. Paul’s Hospital; V-Wave, Inc; ZOLL Medical; CathWorks, ANCORA

Editorial BoardsJACC; American Heart Journal; EuroIntervention; JSCAI; Structural Heart Journal

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT Registry (Co-Chair, Risk Model Development Committee); Cardiovascular Research Foundation (Co-Director, TCT Annual Meeting; Co-Director, New York Valves Annual Meeting)