Mortality of patients with previous stroke undergoing drug-eluting stent implantation

Objective Patients with previous stroke are increasing among patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES); however, data about the influence of previous stroke on patient outcomes are limited. We evaluated whether previous stroke is associated with increased risk for mortality in coronary artery disease. Patients and methods A total of 18 650 patients with coronary artery disease undergoing PCI with DES were enrolled. Databases from three real-world PCI registries were merged for a patient-level meta-analysis. The primary outcome was death from any cause. The secondary outcomes were death from a cardiac cause, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, stroke, or repeat revascularization. Results Patients with previous stroke (n=1361), compared with those without previous stroke (n=17 289), were older and had a higher prevalence of risk factors or comorbidities. At a median follow-up of 47.0 months, patients with previous stroke had a higher risk for death from any cause [adjusted hazard ratio (HR)=1.623; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.342–1.962; P<0.001], death from a cardiac cause (adjusted HR=1.686; 95% CI: 1.339–2.124; P<0.001), and stroke (adjusted HR=2.456; 95% CI: 1.853–3.255; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in the risks for myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, or repeat revascularization. Conclusion Patients with previous stroke showed higher risks for all-cause death and stroke after PCI with DES than those without stroke. Previous stroke should be considered a risk factor for all-cause death and stroke in this patient population.