Objectives: To investigate the optimal method of coronary revascularization in patients on dialysis.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 145 patients on dialysis who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (81 patients) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (64 patients). Survival and non-fatal cardiac event-free rates were compared between the two groups by the Kaplan-Meier method. The impact of independent predictors on survival and non-fatal cardiac event-free rates were examined by the Cox regression model.
Results: The number of diseased vessels was smaller and ejection fraction was greater in the PCI group compared with the CABG group (1.74 +/- 0.67 vs 2.56 +/- 0.61, p < 0.0001 and 61.1 +/- 14.3% vs 50.6 +/- 17.4%, p = 0.001). The 1-year and 5-year survival rates of the PCI group were significantly higher than those of the CABG group (93.8 +/- 2.7% and 66.6 +/- 5.7% vs 76.0 +/- 5.4% and 44.8 +/- 6.5%, p = 0.0065). However, CABG was not an independent predictor of death by multivariate analysis (p = 0.06). The 1-year and 5-year non-fatal cardiac event-free rates of the PCI group were significantly lower than those of the CABG group (63.7 +/- 5.4% and 34.7 +/- 5.8% vs 83.2 +/- 4.9% and 66.8 +/- 7.4%, p = 0.0003). PCI was an independent predictor of non-fatal cardiac event by multivariate analysis (p = 0.007).
Conclusions: PCI was associated with a higher incidence of non-fatal cardiac events, but survival rate was better after PCI than after CABG. PCI is very important and acceptable as a method of coronary revascularization in patients on dialysis.