Comparison of 30-day and 5-year outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in patients aged≤50 years (the Coronary aRtery diseAse in younG adultS Study)

Data on the outcome of young patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are scarce. Data on 2,209 consecutive patients aged≤50 years who underwent CABG or PCI were retrospectively collected from 15 European institutions. PCI and CABG had similar 30-day mortality rates (0.8% vs 1.4%, p=0.27), late survival (at 5 years, 97.8% vs 94.9%, p=0.082), and freedom from stroke (at 5 years, 98.0% and 98.0%, p=0.731). PCI was associated with significantly lower freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (at 5 years, 73.9% vs 85.0%, p<0.0001), repeat revascularization (at 5 years, 77.6% vs 92.5%, p<0.0001), and myocardial infarction (at 5 years, 89.9% vs 96.6%, p<0.0001) compared with CABG. These findings were confirmed in propensity score-adjusted and matched analyses. Freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events after PCI was particularly low in diabetics (at 5 years, 58.0% vs 75.9%, p<0.0001) and in patients with multivessel disease (at 5 years, 63.6% vs 85.1%, p<0.0001). PCI in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction was associated with significantly better 5-year survival (97.5% vs 88.8%, p=0.001), which was driven by its lower 30-day mortality rate (1.5% vs 6.0%, p=0.017). In conclusion, patients aged≤50 years have an excellent immediate outcome after either PCI or CABG with similar long-term survival when used according to the current clinical practice. PCI was associated with significantly lower freedom from myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization.