Effect of Late Revascularization of a Totally Occluded Coronary Artery after Myocardial Infarction on Mortality Rates in Patients with Renal Impairment

Renal dysfunction is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events and a negative prognostic indicator after myocardial infarction (MI). Randomized data comparing percutaneous coronary intervention to medical therapy in patients with MI with renal insufficiency are needed. The Occluded Artery Trial (OAT) compared optimal medical therapy alone to percutaneous coronary intervention with optimal medical therapy in 2,201 high-risk patients with occluded infarct arteries >24 hours after MI with serum creatinine levels ≤2.5 mg/dl. The primary end point was a composite of death, MI, and class IV heart failure (HF). Analyses were carried out using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as a continuous variable and by eGFR categories. Long-term follow-up data (maximum 9 years) were used for this analysis. Lower eGFR was associated with development of the primary outcome (6-year life-table rates of 16.9% for eGFR >90 ml/min/1.73 m(2), 19.2% for eGFR 60 to 89 ml/min/1.73 m(2), and 34.9% for eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2); p <0.0001), death, and class IV HF, with no difference in rates of reinfarction. On multivariate analysis, eGFR was an independent predictor of death and HF. There was no effect of treatment assignment on the primary end point regardless of eGFR, and there was no significant interaction between eGFR and treatment assignment on any outcome. In conclusion, lower eGFR at enrollment was independently associated with death and HF in OAT participants. Despite this increased risk, the lack of benefit from percutaneous coronary intervention in the overall trial was also seen in patients with renal dysfunction and persistent occlusion of the infarct artery in the subacute phase after MI.