Complete or Culprit-Only Revascularization for Patients With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Pairwise and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Objectives The authors sought to compare the effectiveness of the different revascularization strategies in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with multivessel coronary artery disease undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background Recent randomized trials have suggested that multivessel complete revascularization at the time of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with better outcomes, however; the optimum timing for nonculprit PCI is unknown. Methods Trials that randomized STEMI patients with multivessel disease to any combination of the 4 different revascularization strategies (i.e., complete revascularization at the index procedure, staged procedure during the hospitalization, staged procedure after discharge or culprit-only revascularization) were included. Random effect risk ratios (RRs) were conducted. Network meta-analysis was constructed using mixed treatment comparison models, and the 4 revascularization strategies were compared. Results A total of 10 trials with 2,285 patients were included. In the pairwise meta-analysis, complete revascularization (i.e., at the index procedure or as a staged procedure) was associated with a lower risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (RR: 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42 to 0.77), due to lower risk of urgent revascularization (RR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.66). The risk of all-cause mortality (RR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.12), and spontaneous reinfarction (RR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.23 to 1.27) was similar. The reduction in the risk of MACE was observed irrespective of the timing of nonculprit artery revascularization in the mixed treatment model. Conclusions Current evidence from randomized trials suggests that the risk of all-cause mortality and spontaneous reinfarction is not different among the various revascularization strategies for multivessel disease. Complete revascularization at the index procedure or as a staged procedure (either during the hospitalization or after discharge) was associated with a reduction of MACE due to reduction in urgent revascularization with no difference between these 3 strategies. Future trials are needed to determine the impact of complete revascularization on the risk of all-cause mortality and spontaneous reinfarction.