Complete or incomplete percutaneous coronary revascularization in patientswith unstable angina in stent era: Are early and one-year results different?

The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of a strategy of incomplete revascularization by PTCA, with or without stent implantation, on clinical outcome of 208 consecutive patients (171 men) with unstable angina and mul tivessel coronary artery disease. Mean age of the group was 63.8 +/- 10.3 y ears (range, 31-91). Complete and incomplete revascularization was achieved in 49 and 159 patients, respectively. A total of 226 stents were implanted in 172 patients (1.31 +/- 0.65 stent per patient), equally distributed bet ween the two groups. Left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% and total chr onic coronary occlusions were significantly more frequent in patients with incomplete revascularization than in those with complete (P = 0.014 and 0.0 01, respectively). In-hospital MACE occurred in 10% and 7.5% of patients wi th complete and incomplete revascularization, respectively (P = NS). By mul tivariate analysis, multiple stent implantation (OR, 5.44; 95% Cl, 1.21-24. 3), presence of thrombus in the treated lesion (OR, 6.3; 95% Cl, 1.53-25.9) , Braunwald class III (OR, 4.74; 95% Cl, 1.08-20.8), and ad hoc PTCA (OR 4. 51; 95% Cl, 1.11-18.3) were significantly related to in-hospital outcome. A t 1-year follow-up, 11.3% and 11.5% of patients with complete and incomplet e revascularization, respectively, had MACE. In all patients, diabetes (OR, 3.40; 95% Cl, 1.09-10.58) and presence of thrombus in the treated lesion ( OR, 3.48; 95% Cl, 1.12-10.84) were significant predictors of 1-year outcome by multivariate analysis. These results indicate that the strategy of inco mplete revascularization in unstable angina patients with multivessel coron ary disease does not expose them to a higher risk of death or other major i schemic events in comparison to those undergoing complete revascularization . (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.