A preliminary experience report: Drug-eluting stents versus coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with a single lesion in the proximal left anterior descending artery suffering from diabetes mellitus and chronic stable angina.

INTRODUCTION Treatment of lesions located in the proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery (pLAD), either with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention, in patients with diabetes mellitus has been associated with an unfavourable outcome. The aim of the present study was to compare the long-term clinical outcome of drug-eluting stents (DES) vs. CABG with a left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft in patients with a pLAD lesion who suffered from chronic stable angina and diabetes mellitus. METHODS We studied 77 consecutive patients suffering from chronic stable angina, diabetes mellitus, and with an isolated pLAD lesion. Thirty-nine patients underwent DES implantation and 38 LIMA grafting. Primary endpoints were the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events, defined as death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularisation. Secondary endpoints included the length of stay in hospital, in-hospital complications, and the recurrence of chest pain. RESULTS More in-hospital complications were observed in the CABG group than in the DES group. The mean duration of hospitalisation after CABG was 7.76 +/- 2.82 days vs. 1.17 +/- 1.15 days after DES. The mean follow-up period was 19.7 +/- 6.3 months for the DES group and 19.7 +/- 7.4 months for the surgical group. The incidence of major adverse cardiac events was similar in the two groups. There were two re-interventions in the DES group and none in the surgical group. Recurrent angina occurred in 2 patients in the DES group and 3 patients in the CABG group. CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates that patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic stable angina, and single vessel disease in the pLAD have an excellent long-term outcome with both DES implantation and LIMA anastomosis. The surgical approach, however, was associated with more in-hospital complications and a longer hospitalisation.