What the trial was testing
The COMPARE-ACUTE enrolled 885 patients with coronary artery disease. The study was sponsored by Maasstad Hospital and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
Researchers followed patients through treatment and into recovery, tracking the outcomes that mattered most for the disease being studied.
What the results showed
Complete artery treatment cut the risk of heart problems by 65% compared to treating just the main blockage.
The New England journal of medicine · 2017 · NCT01399736
These findings — that treating all blocked arteries cut the risk of death, another heart attack, or needing more procedures — were published in the The New England journal of medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 885 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with coronary artery disease, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This approach—using fractional flow reserve (FFR) to guide treatment of all blocked arteries during a heart attack—is now a standard option at many hospitals. If you have multiple blocked arteries during a heart attack, ask your cardiologist whether complete revascularization guided by blood flow measurements is right for you.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open coronary artery disease trials
Impact of Procedural Factors on Drug-Coated Balloon Outcomes in Coronary Artery Disease
This registry aimed to investigate drug-coated balloon procedural factors (particularly delivery time and inflation duration) to evaluate the impact on angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for de novo coronary lesions.
Brazilian Prospective Registry of the Inspiron EVO Drug-Eluting Stent in Complex Coronary Lesions
The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Inspiron™ EVO drug-eluting stent in complex coronary lesions in a real-world population. Patients with symptomatic ischemic heart disease due to lesions in native coronary arteries and restenotic lesions will be treated with the Inspiron™ EVO drug-eluting stent.