Percutaneous coronary intervention in diabetic patients: a problem?

Pharmacological and technological advances in surgical and interventional coronary treatment modalities have shown reduced cardiovascular mortality in non-diabetic patients, but diabetic patients have not gained the same benefit of invasive treatment as non-diabetics. Although early studies suggest a poorer outcome after angioplasty than after coronary by-pass grafting (CABG) in diabetic patients, more recent studies including improved pharmacological therapy and stent implantation seem to justify increased use of revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in diabetics with stable and unstable coronary syndromes as the relative benefit in long-term survival, non-fatal myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents is similar. However, diabetic patients are still subject to higher morbidity and mortality after revascularization with CABG and PCI. This is related to increased co-morbidity, metabolic dysregulation, difficulties in obtaining complete revascularization, and more frequent appearance of new lesions as well as restenosis and hemostatic abnormalities. Drug-eluting stents appear to reduce the risk of restenosis, and aggressive antithrombotics also tend to improve the outcome. Unsolved problems are the significance of incomplete revascularization and whether a PCI strategy is associated with a procedure induced progression of the native diabetic vascular disease in treated or untreated vessels. Trials addressing adjunctive treatment and long-term clinical outcome specifically in diabetic patients should clarify these questions.