BACKGROUND:
The Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial (CREST) previously reported increased mortality in patients who sustained a periprocedural stroke or cardiac event (myocardial infarction or biomarker only) in follow-up to 4 years. We now extend these observations to 10 years.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
CREST is a randomized, controlled trial designed to compare the outcomes of carotid stenting (CAS) versus carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between mortality and periprocedural stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), or biomarker only events. Over 10-year follow up, patients with periprocedural stroke were at 1.74-times the risk of death compared to those without stroke (adjusted HR=1.74; 95% CI 1.21–2.50; p˂0.003). This increased risk was driven by increased early (between 0 and 90 days) mortality (adjusted HR=14.41; 95% CI 5.33–38.94; p˂0.0001), with no significant increase in late (between 91 days and 10 years) mortality (adjusted HR=1.40; 95% CI 0.93–2.10; p=0.11). Patients with a protocol MI were at 3.61-times increased risk of death compared to those without MI (adjusted HR=3.61; 95% CI 2.28–5.73; p˂0.0001), with an increased hazard both early (adjusted HR=8.20; 95% CI 1.86–36.2; p=0.006) and late (adjusted HR=3.40; 95% CI 2.09–5.53; p˂0.0001). Patients with a biomarker only event were at 2.04-times increased risk overall (adjusted HR=2.04; 95% CI 1.09–3.84; p=0.03) than those without myocardial infarction, with an increased early hazard (adjusted HR = 8.44; 95% CI 1.09–65.5; p=0.04), and a suggestive but non-significant association toward higher 91-day to10-year risk (1.88; 95% CI 0.97–3.64; p=0.062) contributing to the increased risk.
CONCLUSIONS:
In the CREST trial, patients with periprocedural events demonstrate a substantial increase in future mortality to 10 years. For stroke, this risk is largely confined to an early time frame while periprocedural MI or biomarker only events confer a continuous increased mortality over 10 years. Strategies to reduce periprocedural events and to optimize the evaluation and management of patients with cardiac events should be considered in efforts to reduce not only early but long-term mortality.
CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION:
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00004732