Mid-term outcomes after percutaneous interventions in coronary bifurcations

The optimal treatment of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for lesions located at coronary bifurcations is still debated.Data on 5036 consecutive patients who underwent PCI on coronary bifurcation at 17 major coronary intervention centers between January 2012 and December 2014 were collected.Follow-up at a median 18 months (IQR 11-28) was available for 4506 patients (89%). Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE) occurred in 395 patients (8.8%): cardiac death in 152 (3.4%), myocardial infarction, excluding periprocedural, in 156 (3.5%) and stent thrombosis in 110 cases (2.4%). At multivariable Cox regression, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30% (P 0.001), bail-out stenting (beyond a planned strategy of either single or double stenting) (P 0.001), admission for an acute coronary syndrome (P 0.001), age66 years (P 0.001), multivessel disease (P 0.001) and diabetes (P 0.001) were independently associated with MACE. Sensitivity analysis identified premature discontinuation of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) (P 0.001) and side branch (SB) lesion length ≥9 mm (P 0.05) as additional independent predictors of MACE.Beyond traditional risk factors, multivessel disease, the length of the SB lesion, "bail-out" stenting and premature DAPT discontinuation are independent predictors of mid-term MACE after PCI of coronary bifurcations. This highlights the importance of a carefully planned PCI strategy and adequate therapy adherence to improve the clinical outcomes in these patients.URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01967615.