To determine whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with complete revascularization improves survival in patients with multivessel disease (MVD) over CABG with incomplete revascularization, we performed a meta-analysis of adjusted (but not unadjusted) risk estimates from observational studies. Databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through October 2013 using Web-based search engines (PubMed, OVID). Eligible studies were observational studies of complete- versus incomplete-revascularization CABG enrolling ≥ 100 patients with MVD in each treatment arm and reporting an adjusted hazard ratio for follow-up mortality. Mixed-effects meta-regression analyses were performed to determine whether the effects of complete-revascularization CABG on survival were modulated by the prespecified factors. Fourteen observational studies enrolling 30 389 patients were identified and included. A pooled analysis demonstrated a statistically significant 37% reduction in follow-up mortality with complete- relative to incomplete-revascularization CABG (hazard ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.75; P < 0.00001). Although meta-regression coefficients were not statistically significant for mean follow-up duration and age and proportion of men and patients undergoing off-pump CABG, that for proportion of patients with diabetes was significantly negative (P = 0.03), which would indicate that as patients with diabetes increase, complete-revascularization CABG is more beneficial for survival. In conclusion, complete-revascularization CABG appears to improve survival over incomplete-revascularization CABG in patients with MVD.
Keywords: Complete revascularization; Coronary artery bypass grafting; Incomplete revascularization; Meta-analysis.