Although state-of-the-art therapy for left main disease (LMD) has been demonstrated to improve overall cardiovascular outcomes, it remains unclear whether differences in strategy and outcomes for Japanese and non-Japanese patients can be observed in a contemporary treatment.
In this international multicenter registry, we analyzed 314 patients who received state-of-the-art management for LMD, including physiology-guided revascularization, coronary interventions using the latest drug-eluting stents aided by intracoronary imaging, or surgical procedures employing internal thoracic artery grafts, in conjunction with guideline-directed medical therapy. The patient cohort was divided into Japanese (n = 122) and non-Japanese (n = 192) groups. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization. Propensity score matching was utilized to account for baseline clinical variables.
Baseline and lesion characteristics differed among groups, demonstrating higher frequency of diabetes and chronic kidney disease, higher SYNTAX score, and more severe stenosis in the Japanese cohort, resulting in a higher rate of revascularization performed (P < 0.05 for all). Percutaneous coronary intervention was significantly more frequently selected as the revascularization option (P < 0.001). While there were no significant differences in MACE between the 2 groups before adjustment, following adjustment, the Japanese cohort demonstrated significantly lower MACE at 4 years (6.3% versus 16.7%; HR: 0.37; 95%CI: 0.14-0.97; P = 0.042). Multivariate analysis further confirmed an independent association between Japanese patients and a reduced 4-year MACE risk (HR: 0.37; 95%CI: 0.14-0.96; P = 0.040).
In a contemporary study with state-of-the-art therapy for LMD, patients who underwent treatment in Japan demonstrated better cardiovascular outcomes.
