Midterm outcomes of patients with multivessel disease treated at centers with and without on-site cardiac surgery services

Objective: The last decade has witnessed an increased number of stand-alone interventional cardiology units due to the consolidation of cardiac surgery services. We aimed to explore the impact of a heart team on the midterm outcomes of patients with multivessel coronary artery disease. Methods: This prospective registry included 1063 consecutive patients with multivessel disease enrolled between January and April 2013 from all 22 hospitals in Israel that perform coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention, with or without on-site cardiac surgery services. Results: Of the 1063 patients, 576 (54%) and 487 (46%) were admitted to centers with or without on-site cardiac surgery services, respectively. Centers with cardiac surgery services compared with those without had more male patients (82% vs 77%, P = .026) and more patients who were taking aspirin (75% vs 67%, P = .008) before admission. Other characteristics were similar between the groups, including mean SYNTAX score (22.5 ± 9.6 vs 22.2 ± 10, P = .680). Late outcomes revealed a higher 6-year survival probability in centers with on-site cardiac surgery services (85.1% vs 81.3%, P = .047). Although coronary artery bypass grafting (vs percutaneous coronary intervention) was associated with a survival advantage among patients from hospitals with cardiac surgery services (89.9% vs 81.5%, P = .004), in the absence of on-site cardiac surgery services there were no differences between the 2 revascularization approaches (81.8% vs 81.1%, P = .9). Conclusions: Patients with multivessel coronary artery disease treated in centers without on-site cardiac surgery services receive a lower rate of appropriate guideline-based intervention with coronary artery bypass grafting, which is associated with less favorable outcomes. These findings suggest that a heart-team approach should be mandatory even in centers with stand-alone interventional cardiology units.