Depression predicts the risk of adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention: A meta-analysis.

Background: Depression is correlated with poor prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The goal of this meta-analysis was to assess the influence of depression on the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and all-cause mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Cohort studies were obtained by searching PubMed and Embase databases. Cohort studies regarding the association between depression and risks of MACEs and mortality after PCI were included. Heterogeneity was determined using the Cochrane's Q test and calculated using I. A fixed-effect model was used if no significant heterogeneity was detected; otherwise a random-effect model was applied. The adjusted risk ratio [RR] for the incidences of MACEs and all-cause mortality in patients with depression were compared to those without depression.

Results: Nine cohorts including 4,555 CAD patients who underwent PCI were included in this meta-analysis, and 1,108 of these patients were diagnosed with depression. There were no significant differences among studies evaluating MACEs and mortality risks (I = 25% and 0%, respectively). Pooled results showed that depression was associated with higher risk of MACEs (RR: 2.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.59 to 2.77, p <  0.001) and all-cause mortality (RR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.45 to 2.13, p < 0.001) during follow-up after PCI.

Limitations: Available full text peer reviewed studies were limited and only studies in English were included in this analysis.

Conclusions: Depressive symptoms were independently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients who received PCI. Psychological therapy that does not increase cardiac burden or induce pharmacological side effects may be a better strategy to treat depression associated with PCI.