AI Article Synopsis

  • The study evaluated long-term outcomes for patients with intermediate stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery, using fractional flow reserve (FFR) to guide treatment.
  • Medical management was effective for patients with FFR ≥ 0.80, showing a 5-year survival rate of 92.9% and similar to matched controls.
  • In contrast, patients requiring revascularization had a higher mean stenosis and significantly lower event-free survival rates (68.5%) compared to those treated medically.

Article Abstract

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the long-term clinical outcome of patients with an angiographically intermediate left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) stenosis in whom the revascularization strategy was based on fractional flow reserve (FFR).

Background: When revascularization is based mainly on angiographic guidance, a number of hemodynamically nonsignificant stenoses will be revascularized.

Methods: In 730 patients with a 30% to 70% isolated stenosis in the proximal LAD and no significant valvular disease, FFR measurements were obtained to guide treatment strategy. When FFR was ≥ 0.80, the patients (n = 564) were treated medically (medical group); when FFR was <0.80, the patients (n = 166) underwent a revascularization procedure (revascularization group; 13% coronary artery bypass graft surgery and 87% percutaneous coronary intervention). A 100% long-term clinical follow-up (median follow-up: 40 months) was obtained. The 5-year survival of the medical group was compared with that of a reference population. For each patient, 4 controls were selected from an age- and sex-matched control population.

Results: The 5-year survival estimate was 92.9% in the medical group versus 89.6% in the controls (p = 0.74). The mean diameter stenosis was significantly smaller in the medical than in the revascularization group (39 ± 14% vs. 54 ± 13%, p < 0.0001), but there was a large overlap between both groups. The 5-year event-free survival estimates (death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization) were 89.7% and 68.5%, respectively (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Medical treatment of patients with a hemodynamically nonsignificant stenosis (FFR ≥ 0.80) in the proximal LAD is associated with an excellent long-term clinical outcome with survival at 5 years similar to an age- and sex-matched control population.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcin.2011.09.007DOI Listing

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