Eliano Navarese (Bydgoszcz, Poland) talks to Cardiovascular News about a large-scale meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing elective coronary revascularisation versus medical therapy alone in stable patients with documented coronary artery disease.
The “very relevant” findings of the meta-analysis indicated a “significant and robust reduction of cardiac mortality in favour of elective coronary revascularisation compared with medical therapy alone”, says Navarese, adding that “importantly there was also a parallel reduction in spontaneous myocardial infarction in favour of revascularisation”.
There was shown to be a direct association between reduction of cardiac mortality and increased follow-up duration. Meanwhile, variations of medical therapy across trials did not impact cardiac mortality findings, nor did study year, notes Navarese.
The data is “robust”, says Navarese, who goes on to conclude that the findings “should have implications for direct catheterisations of patients with coronary artery disease”.
