Effects of Surgical, Percutaneous or Medical Treatments for Coronary Artery Disease on Renal Function: Long-Term Outcome. Cardiorenal-trial.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) treatment strategies-coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or optimized medical therapy (OMT)-have well-established cardiovascular outcomes, but their long-term renal effects remain underexplored. Renal dysfunction is a key prognostic factor in CAD, yet patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are often underrepresented in major trials.

Objectives: To evaluate the long-term impact of surgical, percutaneous, and medical treatment strategies for stable multivessel CAD on renal function, with emphasis on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) changes and incidence of renal dysfunction.

Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study analyzed data from the MASS registry, including patients with stable multivessel CAD, preserved left ventricular function, and baseline/annual serum creatinine measurements over ≥5 years. Eligible patients underwent OMT, CABG, or PCI (drug-eluting or bare-metal stents). Primary outcome was change in eGFR over time. Secondary outcomes included new-onset CKD (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m²), progression to advanced CKD (<30 mL/min/1.73 m²), need for renal replacement therapy, and mortality. Linear mixed-effects models assessed eGFR changes; time-to-event analyses (Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression) evaluated secondary outcomes.

Results: The cohort comprised over 1,700 patients meeting inclusion criteria. Longitudinal follow-up allowed for robust assessment of renal trajectories across treatment groups. Analyses will determine whether treatment modality independently predicts renal decline, adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, and baseline eGFR.

Conclusions: This study addresses a major evidence gap by positioning renal function as a primary outcome in CAD management. Findings may inform more integrated decision-making for patients with concurrent cardiovascular and renal risk, supporting individualized therapy selection beyond traditional cardiovascular endpoints.

Inclusion criteria

• Multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) documented by angiography (2 or more epicardial arteries with stenosis of 70% or more);
• Preserved left ventricular systolic function;
• Have undergone treatment with medical therapy (MT), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or percutaneous coronary artery intervention (PCI), using drug-eluting stents (DES) or bare-metal stents (BMS);
• Availability of baseline serum creatinine values at the time of enrollment;
• Availability of serum creatinine measurements for a minimum of five years.

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of acute coronary syndrome at baseline;
• Limited life expectancy due to noncardiac comorbidities;
• Inability to maintain regular outpatient follow-up;
• Significant left main coronary artery disease (stenosis greater than 50%);
• Advanced chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] less than 30mL/min/1,73m2);
• End-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or history of kidney transplantation.