Four-year outcomes of unprotected left main lesion treated with one-stent versus two-stent technique

Introduction – Most reports on left main bifurcation lesions have demonstrated that treatment with a singlestent strategy is superior to a two-stent strategy but have excluded patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Aims – The aim of the current study was to compare the four year outcomes of patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease (ULMCAD) treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a one-stent or two-stent strategies in a population including those presenting as ACS. Methods – A total of 135 patients with ULMCAD treated by PCI were included, of which 75 (55.6%) had a one-stent strategy (Group A) and 60 (44.4%) had a two-stent strategy (Group B). Results – Fewer patients in Group A had a TIMI III flow at the end of the procedure (89.4% vs 100%, p=0.03) and complete revascularization (65.3% vs 88.3%, p=0.002). We found a higher early mortality in Group A without reaching statistical significance (13.4% vs 3.3%, p=0.1). Mortality rate at 4-year follow up was higher with Group A after multivariable analysis (adjusted HR 0.36, CI 0.15-0.85, p=0.02). We found no significant differences between the groups in terms of major adverse cardiac event (MACE) (adjusted HR 0.85, CI 0.34-1.48, p=0.7) or target lesion revascularization (TLR) (adjusted HR 1.37, CI 0.42-4.47, p=0.6) at 4-year follow up. Conclusions – Among unselected patients with ULMCAD PCI, with or without ACS, the early mortality rate is similar between one and two-stent strategy. Although, 4 year TLR and MACE rates were similar between the two groups, the 4-year all-cause mortality rate was lower in the two-stent strategy group.