Periprocedural adverse events after revascularisation: the importance of getting off to a good start

In this issue of the journal, Kotoky et al shed light on the association between periprocedural major adverse events (PMAE) and long-term mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a post hoc analysis of the SYNTAX trial1. The authors should be congratulated for this important work and the food for thought it provides. PMAE were defined as a composite of numerous periprocedural complications occurring within 30 days from the index procedure. Patients undergoing CABG were more likely to experience one of these events than those undergoing PCI (28.2% vs 11.2%; p<0.001). ...