Comparing clinical outcomes in patients with diabetes undergoing coronary artery bypass graft and percutaneous coronary intervention in real world practice in Iranian population

Background Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is generally regarded as one the treatment options for coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with diabetes. In recent years, with the advent of drug-eluting stents (DES), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was introduced as a suitable alternative for CABG. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) during mid-term period in patients with diabetes treated with 2 revascularization strategies. Methods This historical cohort study was conducted on 750 consecutives patients with diabetes in a single cardiovascular center from July 2009 to March 2012 in Iran. We included previously known case of DM treated with antidiabetic medications (with or without end organ damage) and patient with preoperational evaluation FBS test > 126 (not on the day of the surgery) who were revascularized by 2 strategies. We excluded those patients whose follow-up was not possible. Results Finally, out of 697 eligible patients, 355 patients underwent a CABG and 342 underwent a PCI: 53 patients were lost to follow-up (27 in CABG and 26 in PCI groups). The mean follow-up time was 900.68 ± 462.03 days in the CABG and 782.60 ± 399.05 in PCI groups. There were 17 (9.13%) cardiac deaths in the CABG group and 8 (4.45%) in the PCI group; this difference was not significant ( P = .11). There was 14 (7.58%) cerebrovascular accident in the CABG group and 4 (2.31%) in the PCI group; this difference was significant ( P = .04). Moreover, the frequency of the target vessel revascularization in the CABG and PCI groups was 6 (3.32%) and 31 (17.11%) ( P < .001), respectively. Myocardial infarction in the CABG group was 5 (2.77%) and 14 (7.86%) in the PCI group ( P = .009). Finally, the frequency of MACCE in the CABG and PCI groups was 41(20.70%) and 47(24.16%) respectively; this difference was not statistically significant ( P = .195). Conclusion Patients with CABG in this study experienced more CVA, while the frequency of TVR and non-fatal MI was higher in the PCI arm.