The Truth and Consequences of the COURAGE Trial

Dean J. Kereiakes, Paul S. Teirstein, Ian J. Sarembock, David R. Holmes, Mitchell W. Krucoff, William W. O'Neill, Ron Waksman, David O. Williams, Jeffrey J. Popma, Maurice Buchbinder, Roxana Mehran, Ian T. Meredith, Jeffrey W. Moses, Gregg W. Stone

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

103 Scopus citations

Abstract

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has played an integral role in the therapeutic management strategies for patients who present with either acute coronary syndromes or stable angina pectoris. The COURAGE (Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation) trial enrolled patients with chronic stable angina and at least 1 significant (≥70%) angiographic coronary stenosis who were randomly assigned to an initial treatment of either PCI in conjunction with optimal medical therapy or optimal medical therapy alone. Although the initial management strategy of PCI did not reduce the risk of death, myocardial infarction, or other major cardiovascular events, improvement in angina-free status and a reduction in the requirement for subsequent revascularization was observed. An in-depth analysis of the COURAGE trial design and execution is provided.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1598-1603
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the American College of Cardiology
Volume50
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - 16 Oct 2007
Externally publishedYes

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