Mortality at long-term follow-up of patients with no, nonobstructive, and revascularized 1-, 2-, and 3-vessel obstructive coronary artery disease.
BACKGROUND
To investigate the 5-year survival of patients with coronary angiographic evidence of no coronary artery disease (CAD), nonobstructive CAD, and revascularized 1-vessel, 2-vessel, and 3-vessel obstructive CAD.


METHODS
Coronary angiography was performed in 2,057 unselected patients, mean age 69 years (57% men and 43% women), with an acute coronary syndrome (50%) or anginal chest pain.(50%).


RESULTS
Of 2,057 patients, 760 (37%) had obstructive CAD with >50% obstruction of at least 1 major coronary artery (left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary) and were revascularized, 695 (34%) had nonobstructive CAD (<50% obstruction), and 602 (29%) had normal coronary arteries. At 60+/-16-month follow-up, all-cause mortality occurred in 41 of 602 patients (7%) with no CAD (group 1), in 80 of 695 patients (12%) with nonobstructive CAD (group 2), in 50 of 302 patients (17%) with revascularized 1-vessel obstructive CAD (group 3), in 47 of 201 patients (23%) with 2-vessel revascularized obstructive CAD (group 4), and in 72 of 257 patients (28%) with 3-vessel revascularized obstructive CAD (group 4). Log-rank tests to compare survival curves among the 5 groups showed p=0.004 for groups 1 versus 2; p<0.0001 for groups 1 versus 3, 1 versus 4, 1 versus 5, 2 versus 4, and 2 versus 5; and p=0.007 for groups 3 versus 5.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with nonobstructive CAD had a worse survival than those with no CAD, a nonsignificant difference in survival than those with revascularized 1-vessel obstructive CAD, and a better survival than those with revascularized 2-vessel or 3-vessel obstructive CAD.
Chilappa
Kiran
K
Department of Medicine, Cardiology Division, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.
Aronow
Wilbert S
WS
Rajdev
Archana
A
Ahn
Chul
C
Kalapatapu
Kumar
K
Pucillo
Anthony L
AL
Monsen
Craig E
CE
D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male