Long-term clinical outcomes of Chinese diabetic patients after coronary revascularization with drug-eluting stents: a retrospective comparative cohort study

BACKGROUND: Compared to bare-metal stent implantation, coronary drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is more likely to reduce restenosis and the need for a subsequent repeat revascularization procedure. Diabetes increases the risk of coronary heart disease and the population of diabetic patients has increased significantly in China in recent years. It’s essential to know more about the outcome in these patients underwent DES implantation. To date, the long-term safety and efficacy of coronary DES implantation in Chinese patients with diabetes has rarely been investigated. METHODS: In this study, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 580 patients who underwent DES implantations between July 2014 and January 2016 were included and divided into the diabetic group (n=173) and non-diabetic group (n=407). Clinical baseline characteristics and follow-up outcomes were collected from electronic medical record. Serial clinical follow-up was conducted at 1-, 3-, and 5-year. The primary end point was a composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), including cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI), and target lesion revascularization (TLR) in 5-year follow-up. The long-term outcomes observed in the 5-year follow-up period were compared between the diabetic and non-diabetic patients. RESULTS: Non-cardiac death was more common in the diabetic than non-diabetic patients in the 5-year follow-up period (8.7% vs. 3.2% P=0.00). Conversely, the risk of occurrence of MACEs, cardiac death, re-MI, and TLR were comparable. The all-cause mortality rate in 5-year follow-up was higher in the diabetic than non-diabetic patients (14.5% vs. 6.1%, P=0.00). The incidence of stent thrombosis was also comparable between the diabetic and non-diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the non-diabetic patients, the diabetic patients were at higher risk for all-cause mortality after coronary DES implantation during the long-term follow-up period.