Figure 3. Secondary End Point of Repeat Revascularization.

The risk of repeat revascularization was significantly higher in patients randomized to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The effect was consistent across trials, and no heterogeneity was detected. Although the excess risk of repeat revascularization with PCI vs coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was numerically lower in second-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) compared with first-generation DESs, testing for subgroup differences was nonsignificant and CABG continued to perform better than PCI. EXCEL indicates Evaluation of Xience vs Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization (Xience; Abbott Vascular); HR, hazard ratio; NOBLE, Nordic-Baltic-British Left Main Revascularisation; PRECOMBAT, Bypass Surgery vs Angioplasty Using Sirolimus-Eluting Stent in Patients With Left Main Coronary Artery Disease; and SYNTAX, Synergy Between PCI With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (Taxus; Boston Scientific).

^aTesting for interaction by using values for fixed-effect and random-effects models, respectively.