This study aimed to review studies comparing outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in saphenous vein grafts (SVG) with and without embolic protection devices (EPD).
Databases including PubMed Central, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Scopus were searched from January 1964 to April 2021. We used the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the Newcastle Ottawa scale to assess the quality of published studies based on study design. From the results, we carried out a meta-analysis with a random-effects model and reported pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI.
In total, 11 studies were analyzed that included 79,009 total participants. EPD use had significantly lower odds of mortality (pooled OR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.5–0.94). There was no significant difference in terms of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (pooled OR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.67–1.03), target vessel revascularization (pooled OR = 1; 95% CI: 0.95–1.05), periprocedural (pooled OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 0.65–1.9) and late myocardial infarction (MI) (pooled OR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.55–1.14) with or without EPD for PCI in SVG patients.
Although not statistically beneficial for MACE, target vessel revascularization, periprocedural, and late MI, EPD use does appear to significantly reduce mortality for the patients undergoing PCI in SVG. Clinicians might consider using EPD for such patients to reduce the burden of post-procedural morbidity and mortality.