title: Long-term outcome of prophylactic coronary revascularization in cardiac high-risk patients undergoing major vascular surgery (from the randomized DECREASE-V Pilot Study).
abstract: Prophylactic coronary revascularization in vascular surgery patients with extensive coronary artery disease was not associated with an improved immediate postoperative outcome. However, the potential long-term benefit was unknown. This study was performed to assess the long-term benefit of prophylactic coronary revascularization in these patients. Of 1,880 patients scheduled for major vascular surgery, 430 had > or =3 risk factors (age >70 years, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and renal failure). All underwent cardiac testing using dobutamine echocardiography or nuclear stress imaging. Patients with extensive stress-induced ischemia (> or =5 segments or > or =3 walls) were randomly assigned to additional revascularization. In total, 101 patients showed extensive ischemia and were assigned to revascularization (n = 49) or no revascularization (n = 52). After 2.8 years, the overall survival rate was 64% for patients randomly assigned to no preoperative coronary revascularization versus 61% for patients assigned to preoperative coronary revascularization (hazard ratio [HR] 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63 to 2.19, p = 0.61). Rates for survival free of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and coronary revascularization were similar in both groups at 49% and 42% for patients allocated to medical treatment or coronary revascularization, respectively (HR 1.51, 95% CI 0.89 to 2.57, p = 0.13). Only 2 patients assigned to medical treatment required coronary revascularization during follow-up. Also, in patients who survived the first 30 days after surgery, there was no apparent benefit of revascularization on cardiac events (HR 1.35, 95% CI 0.72 to 2.52, p = 0.36). In conclusion, preoperative coronary revascularization in high-risk patients undergoing major vascular surgery was not associated with improved postoperative or long-term outcome compared with the best medical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schouten
authors.forename: Jan-Peter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: van Kuijk
authors.forename: Willem-Jan
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Flu
authors.forename: Tamara A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Winkel
authors.forename: Gijs M J M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Welten
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boersma
authors.forename: Hence J M
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Verhagen
authors.forename: Jeroen J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bax
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poldermans