What this Trial Is About

This research aims to assess whether successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can improve long-term outcomes compared to optimal medical therapy (OMT) in patients with coronary chronic total occlusions (CTOs). CTOs are linked to higher risks of adverse heart and brain events, so the study focuses on evaluating these risks and overall survival in affected patients. Participants included those treated at a hospital between 2011 and 2017, with the goal to understand if PCI offers better clinical prognosis than medication alone. The study compares two groups of CTO patients: those who underwent successful PCI and those treated with optimal medical therapy, which includes medications such as aspirin, ACE inhibitors or ARBs, beta blockers, and statins. Patients who had previously undergone coronary artery bypass grafting were excluded. The treatments were administered based on symptoms, viability of heart tissue, or evidence of ischemia in the area served by the blocked artery. Participants are monitored for major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including cardiac death, recurrent heart attacks, unplanned revascularizations, and strokes, over a long period from January 2011 to December 2023. Secondary outcomes include all-cause death. The study collects data on these events to compare the effectiveness and safety of PCI versus medical therapy in improving the prognosis for patients with chronic coronary artery occlusions.

Effect of PCI on Clinical Prognosis of Chronic Coronary Artery Occlusion