Gender Differences in Long-Term Outcomes of Medical Therapy and Successful Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions

Background. There is a paucity of information about the gender differences in clinical outcomes of successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with medical therapy (MT) in patients with coronary chronic total occlusions (CTOs). Objectives. We aimed to investigate the impact of gender on long-term clinical outcomes associated with successful CTO-PCI versus MT in patients with CTOs. Methods. Between January 2007 and December 2016, a total of 1702 patients with ≥1 CTO were enrolled. After exclusion, 1294 patients with 1520 CTOs were analyzed and were divided into the female group (n = 304, 23.5%) and the male group (n = 990, 76.5%). The patients in the female or male group were assigned to a MT group or successful CTO-PCI group according to the treatment strategy. In the female group, they were divided into two groups: 177 patients in the MT group and 127 patients in the successful CTO-PCI group. In the male group, they were divided into two groups: 623 patients in the MT group and 367 patients in the successful CTO-PCI group. The primary outcome was cardiac death. The secondary outcome was major adverse cardiac event (MACE). Results. The median overall follow-up duration was 3.6 (IQR, 2.1–5.0) years, there were no significant differences between the MT and successful CTO-PCI groups with respect to the prevalence of cardiac death (MT vs. successful PCI: 6.8% vs. 3.9%, p=0.287) and MACE (20.9% vs. 21.3%, p=0.810) in female patients. In the male group, the occurrence of cardiac death (MT vs. successful PCI: 6.6% vs. 3.8%, p=0.066) was similar between the two groups. The MACE rate (30.0% vs. 18.5%, p<0.001) was significantly higher in the MT group. Heart failure (hazard ratio 3.40, 95% confidence interval 1.23–9.40, p=0.018) was an independent predictor of cardiac death in female patients. Conclusions. Successful CTO-PCI was not associated with reduced risk of cardiac death compared with medical therapy alone in both female and male patients. However, men have a significant reduction in MACE rate after successful CTO-PCI. Aggressive CTO-PCI should be considered carefully among female patients

Predictive value of high sensitivity C-reactive protein in three-vessel disease patients with and without type 2 diabetes

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) and atherosclerosis are multifactorial conditions and share a common inflammatory basis. Three-vessel disease (TVD) represents a major challenge for coronary intervention. Nonetheless, the predictive value of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) for TVD patients with or without type 2 DM remains unknown. Herein, we aimed to ascertain the long-term predictive value of hs-CRP in TVD patients according to type 2 DM status from a large cohort. Methods A total of 2734 TVD patients with (n = 1040, 38%) and without (n = 1694, 62%) type 2 diabetes were stratified based on the hs-CRP (< 2 mg/L vs. ≥ 2 mg/L). Three multivariable analysis models were performed to evaluate the effect of potential confounders on the relationship between hs-CRP level and clinical outcomes. The Concordance index, net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were calculated to assess the added effect of hs-CRP and the baseline model with established risk factors on the discrimination of clinical outcomes. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Results The median follow-up duration was 2.4 years. Multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that the incidence of MACCE (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.35, p = 0.031) and all-cause death (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.07–3.11, p = 0.026) were significantly higher in the diabetic group compared to the non-diabetic group. In the diabetic group, the incidence of MACCE (adjusted HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.09–2.10, p = 0.013) was significantly higher in the high hs-CRP group than in the low hs-CRP group; no significant difference was found for all-cause death (HR 1.63; 95% CI 0.58–4.58, p = 0.349). In the non-diabetic group, the prevalence of MACCE (adjusted HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.71–1.22, p = 0.613) was comparable between the two groups. Finally, the NRI (0.2074, p = 0.001) and IDI (0.0086, p = 0.003) for MACCE were also significantly increased after hs-CRP was added to the baseline model in the diabetic group. Conclusions Elevated hs-CRP is an independent prognostic factor for long-term outcomes of MACCE in TVD patients with type 2 diabetes but not in those without type 2 diabetes. Compared to traditional risk factors, hs-CRP improved the risk prediction of adverse cardiovascular events in TVD patients with type 2 diabetes