Long-term outcomes of second-generation drug-eluting stents versus coronary artery bypass graft: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials and multivariable adjusted data

Abstract

Long-term data are limited comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with second-generation drug-eluting stents (S-DES) vs coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with complex coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing these interventions in patients with left main or multivessel CAD. We systematically reviewed PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for studies that compared PCI with S-DES and CABG in patients with left main or multivessel CAD with a minimum mean follow-up period of 3 years. Outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). We extracted data from observational studies as multivariable-adjusted or propensity score-matched hazard ratio to minimize confounding and pooled hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random effects model in Review Manager 5.4.1. We included 10 studies, 3 of which were randomized controlled trials, comprising a total of 26964 patients, of whom 14928 underwent PCI. As compared with CABG, S-DES had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.35; 95% CI 1.22–1.49; P < 0.001; I 2 = 0%), MACE (hazard ratio 1.27; 95% CI 1.08–1.50; P = 0.005; I 2 = 67%), and MI (hazard ratio 2.43; 95% CI 1.80–3.28; P < 0.01; I 2 = 0%). There was no significant difference between groups in incidence of stroke. In this meta-analysis of patients with complex CAD, PCI with S-DES was associated with an increased risk of mortality, MI, and MACE compared with CABG.