title: Revascularization strategies of coronary multiple vessel disease in the Drug Eluting Stent Era: one year follow-up results of the ERACI III Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients with multiple vessel coronary artery disease treated with drug eluted stents (DES), bare metal stents, percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) or bypass surgery (CABG).
  
  
  METHODS
  In the Argentine Randomized Study Coronary Angioplasty versus Coronary Bypass Surgery in Multiple Vessel Disease (ERACI) III trial, 225 patients with multivessel disease who received DES met clinical and angiographic inclusion criteria for the ERACI II trial. This cohort (ERACI III-DES) was compared to both ERACI II treatment arms (ERACII-PCI and ERACI II-CABG). The primary end point was freedom from MACCE at one year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparison of baseline demographic and angiographic data, revealed that ERACI III-DES patients were older, smoked more, had more diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, type C lesions and received more stents. At one year freedom from MACCE was significantly greater in ERACI III-DES cohort (88%) than ERACI II CABG (80.5% p=0.038) and ERACI II PCI (78% p=0.006) patients. The ERACI III-DES cohort had similar freedom from death and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to ERACI II PCI patients but greater than ERACI II-CABG arm. Freedom from repeat revascularization was similar between ERACI III-DES to ERACI II-CABG (95.1% p=ns) patients, but both were significantly better than those in the ERACI II-PCI arm ( 91.2% and 83%p=0.002 and 0.02 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with multiple vessel disease treated with DES in ERACI III had better one year outcomes than those treated with PCI or CABG in ERACI II.
authors.affiliation: Otamendi Hospital, CECI, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Alfredo E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grinfeld
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Pereira
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mieres
authors.forename: Maximo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodriguez Alemparte
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berrocal
authors.forename: Alfredo M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Granillo
authors.forename: Cesar F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Vigo
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Russo Felsen
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Palacios