Long-term follow-up of multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents for de novo lesions with correlation to the SYNTAX score

Background: Stent thrombosis (ST) and restenosis are concerns after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Limited information exists concerning clinical and angiographic outcomes following multiple stent insertion. We therefore present the long-term outcome from drug-eluting stent (DES) insertion and correlate this with the Syntax score. Methods and Results: Between April 2002 and 2006, all patients that underwent multilesion PCI (defined as ≥4 DES) were included for analysis, and follow-up commenced from the point where the fourth stent was inserted. Three hundred and seventy-four patients were identified, comprising 1972 lesions; 99% had clinical (30±16 months), and 72% had angiographic follow-up. The mean number of stents implanted was 5.7±1.9 and with length of 137±50 mm and Syntax Score of 24±8. The Syntax score (SS) did not predict major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at long-term follow-up, which occurred in 33% in the low SS (<22), 34% intermediate SS (22-32) and 40% in the high SS (>33); P=ns. However, the number of stents implanted correlated with events [MACE: 12% (4 DES), 35% (4-6 DES), 61% (>6 DES)]. There were 11 (2.9%) definite and probable ST: four acute and subacute, three late, and four very late. Conclusions: This study demonstrates an acceptable occurrence of myocardial infarction, death, repeat revascularisation, and ST in patients with multivessel de novo lesions, which had better correlation with the number of DES inserted than the Syntax score.