"Long-term Follow-up of Patients With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing CABG - Comparison Between Functional, Anatomical, or Medical Only-Based Evaluation to Prevent Cardiovascular Events - The FAMOUS Trial"

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a highly prevalent clinical condition, usually associated with impairment in quality of life, and with a high risk for cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death. Because of the anatomical and/or functional extension of the disease, combined with high-risk clinical features (left ventricular dysfunction, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease to name a few), many patients must undergo a coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. In the USA, 400,000 CABG surgeries are performed annually.

Although the benefits of CABG for those high-risk patients have been well established in the long-term, the best follow-up strategy after surgery is still controversial. Current guidelines generally recommend that the follow-up of patients after CABG should be based on the same strategies proposed for patients with stable angina. The investigators hypothesized that the early identification of myocardial ischemia or progression of coronary atherosclerosis, even in asymptomatic patients, may be superior to clinical follow-up alone for the prevention of cardiovascular events.