Aims: We undertook this prospective observational study to investigate the long-term prognosis after balloon angioplasty (PTCA), coronary stenting (CS) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Methods and results: A total number of 1038 patients with PTCA (n=499), CS (n=294) or CABG (n=245) were followed-up over a mean time of 6.4+/-1.8 years. Forty-two patients (4.0%) were lost to follow-up, leaving a study population of 996 subjects who were available for analyses. The primary and secondary endpoints were mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), respectively. Overall death rate was 19.3%. Age, pulse pressure, smoking, diabetes, serum LDL cholesterol levels and left ventricular ejection fraction rather than the intervention type independently predicted mortality. The incidence rate of MACE was 53.7%. Compared to PTCA patients, CS patients had lower (hazard ratio 0.693; 95% confidence interval 0.514-0.793) and CABG patients the lowest risk of MACE (hazard ratio 0.343; 95% confidence interval 0.261-0.450). Further risk factors for MACE were serum LDL cholesterol levels, three-vessel coronary artery disease and left ventricular ejection fraction of <30%.
Conclusion: Long-term mortality does not differ among patients who received percutaneous interventions or CABG. Major adverse cardiac events occur more often in patients with previous percutaneous interventions, whereby CS has advantage over PTCA.