Impact of gender on use of revascularization in acute coronary syndromes: the national observational study of diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization (ONACI).

Objectives: To assess the impact of gender on myocardial revascularization using data collected in a French nationwide registry: the national observational study of diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization (ONACI).

Background: Gender differences in management of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) have been reported.

Methods: We analysed data from a nationwide French prospective multicentre registry including 64,932 suspected ACS patients recruited in 99 centres from 2004 to 2008.

Results: Overall, women were older (70.7 ± 12.7 vs. 63.8 ± 12.9 years), had a higher cardiovascular risk profile, and were more frequently admitted with non ST-elevation myocardial infarction or unstable angina (NSTEMI/UA) compared to men (73% vs. 68%). Women had significantly more angiographically normal coronary arteries or non-significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in both STEMI (6% vs. 3%) and NSTEMI/UA (21% vs. 11%) while men had more severe CAD. After adjusting for age, cardiovascular risk factors, and extent of disease, myocardial revascularization (defined as the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting) was less frequently used in women (adjusted OR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.77-0.83). For those receiving PCI, in-hospital mortality within 24 hr of intervention was higher in women (3.6% vs. 1.2%; adjusted OR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.22-1.87).

Conclusions: In the present study, despite having a higher cardiovascular risk profile, women more frequently had normal vessel/non-significant angiographic coronary artery disease. In patients with significant coronary artery disease, myocardial revascularization was less frequently used in women whatever the type of ACS.