Temporal trends in target vessel revascularization in clinical practice: long-term outcomes following coronary stenting from the Duke Database for Cardiovascular Disease.
OBJECTIVE
We examined outcomes of clinical restenosis and temporal trends in repeat target vessel revascularization (TVR) among a broad, unselected patient population undergoing percutaneous coronary revascularization.


BACKGROUND
The extent to which clinical trials involving protocol-specified follow-up angiography reflect real-world practice where interventions are driven by clinical restenosis is not completely understood. Whether clinical outcomes have varied over a long-term period that has paralleled substantial advances in stent design, balloon delivery catheter and adjunctive pharmacologic therapies is uncertain.


METHODS
To characterize the effectiveness of coronary stenting in routine practice, we examined 1-year clinical outcomes of death and repeat TVR among 5,765 patients enrolled in the Duke Database for Cardiovascular Disease who underwent stent placement between 1994 and 2002. To assess for temporal trends in outcomes, patients were further divided into tertiles according to the year of initial revascularization.


RESULTS
Overall, the 1-year occurrence of TVR and death was 11.4% and 4.9%, respectively. Rates of repeat TVR increased at 3-month intervals, with most events occurring prior to 9 months. In an adjusted analysis over an 8-year period, 1-year survival did not significantly differ across patient tertiles (p = 0.95), although rates of recurrent TVR significantly decreased (1994-1996, 11.1%; 1997-1999, 11.5%; 2000-2002, 9.3%; p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
In a broad patient population in whom repeat angiography is not protocol-specified, most events occur within the initial months following revascularization, yet late clinical restenosis continues. Although survival has not improved since the introduction of coronary stents, overall rates of repeat revascularization have modestly, but significantly, declined.
Kandzari
David E
DE
Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Tuttle
Robert H
RH
Zidar
James P
JP
Jollis
James G
JG
D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000379:methods*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D002404:Catheterization; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization / Q000639:trends*; D012086:Reoperation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015607:Stents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome