COURAGE Results Published
Findings from the Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation (COURAGE) trial were shared at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) (pdf) in addition to publication in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study examined outcomes for patients with severe but stable coronary artery disease, comparing initial treatment with optimal medical therapy (OMT) versus OMT plus percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). At a median follow-up of 4.6 years, no differences were noted with respect to primary outcome measures: long-term survival, rate of major cardiovascular events, and hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome. The authors did note a decrease in symptoms from angina with PCI. Though, at three and five years of follow-up, the percentage of patients without angina were similar.
These findings underline the current treatment guidelines of the ACC and the American Heart Association, which generally reserve PCI as second-line therapy for these patients.
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March 27, 2007 Related topics: Cardiology, Policies & Procedures