Racial differences in long-term outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention with paclitaxel-eluting coronary stents.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of race on long-term outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES).
BACKGROUND: Data on the influence of race on long-term outcomes following PCI with drug-eluting stents are limited because of severe underrepresentation of minority populations in randomized trials.
METHODS: We compared 5-year outcomes of 2,301 whites, 127 blacks, and 169 Asians treated with PES in the TAXUS IV, V, and ATLAS trials. Outcomes were adjusted using a propensity score logistic regression model with 1:4 matching.
RESULTS: Blacks were more likely than whites to be female, have a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, and stroke, but were less likely to have prior coronary artery disease. Compared with whites, Asians were younger, more likely to be male, have stable angina, and left anterior descending disease, and less likely to have silent ischemia, previous coronary artery bypass surgery, prior coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, and to receive glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Despite higher antiplatelet compliance, the adjusted 5-year rates of myocardial infarction (15.4% vs. 5.4%, P < 0.001) and stent thrombosis (5.6% vs. 1.1%, P = 0.002) were higher in blacks than whites. Despite lower antiplatelet compliance, Asians had no differences in myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis compared with whites. Mortality and revascularization rates were similar between the three groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The long-term risk of major thrombotic events after PCI with PES was higher in blacks, but not Asians, compared with whites. The mechanisms underlying these racial differences warrant further investigation.