Search

Abstract Background The optimal timing of complete revascularization (CR) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and multivessel disease (MVD) is still debated. The safety and efficacy of immediate and staged CR (ICR vs. SCR) in this patient group were thus compared. Methods and results PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials of CR strategies for MVD. Studies comparing cardiovascular benefits between ICR and SCR in ACS patients with MVD were included. Short- and long-term outcomes were compared using random-effect risk ratios (RRs). The analysis included seven studies with 3445 patients. The ICR and SCR groups showed comparable risks of all-cause death at 1 year (RR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.72 to 1.95), but the risk increased at 1 month in ICR patients (RR: 2.35; 95% CI: 1.12 to 4.91). ICR reduced the risk of myocardial infarction (MI, RR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.90) and target vessel revascularization (TVR, RR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.85) at 1 year. Conclusion The all-cause death rates were comparable between ICR and SCR strategies. CR at index procedure could reduce MI and TVR rates at 1 year (46% and 38%, respectively). Future studies need to obtain more precise evidence and identify the cardiovascular benefits of these two strategies. Clinical trial number Not applicable.