Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death in the general population and in patients with ESRD. The principles of cardiovascular risk assessment and management apply to both populations. Advances in noninvasive coronary artery imaging have improved early detection of subclinical disease. The goals of medical management of coronary disease are to modify the natural history of disease and to improve the symptoms of angina. Coronary revascularization poses a different risk and benefit equation in the ESRD population. In stable ESRD with multivessel coronary artery disease, coronary bypass surgery, despite the upfront risks of stroke, myocardial infarction, and chest wound infection, seems to be a favored approach. In patients with ESRD and acute coronary syndromes, percutaneous coronary intervention on the target vessel has been associated with the most favorable outcomes. This article explores the clinical issues with respect to coronary artery disease in patients with ESRD.Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2: 611-616, 2007611-616, . doi: 10.2215 C oronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US general population. With the obesity pandemic and the expected worsening of cardiovascular risk factors in the general population, the incidence and the prevalence of heart disease is expected to rise. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD): Of the more than 320,000 patients with ESRD that requires dialysis or kidney transplantation in the United States, half will die from cardiovascular causes, and patients with milder degrees of CKD are more likely to die of CAD than to develop kidney failure that requires renal replacement therapy (1).The observational studies concerning CAD and ESRD have revealed the following: (1) By the time patients reach dialysis, approximately 70% have significant coronary artery calcification indicative of coronary atherosclerosis, (2) patients with CAD and ESRD have markedly increased mortality over the general population, (3) treatment with disease-modifying therapy that is proved to reduce rates of (MI) or death (e.g., aspirin,  adrenergic receptor blockers [BB], angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors [ACEI], 3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase inhibitors or statins) are used less frequently in patients with ESRD than in the general population, (4) noninvasive imaging seems to have less precision and accuracy in patients with ESRD, and (5) patients who have ESRD and are selected for revascularization with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have improved survival compared with those who are treated with medical therapy alone (2-6). Table 1 presents a summary of CAD risk reduction, diagnosis, and management principles. Recommendations in Table 1 present a task list for optimal (not minimal) clinical goals and go beyond many current professional society guidelines concerning the individual treatment targets.
ESRD: More Than a Coronary Heart Risk EquivalentPatients with ES...