Few studies have investigated the effects of an early revascularization in relation to renal function in patients with unstable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Patients (n = 2457) with unstable CAD randomized to a noninvasive or invasive treatment strategy in the Fast Revascularisation during InStability in Coronary artery disease (FRISC-II) trial were stratified according to tertiles of creatinine clearance (CrCl < 69 mL/min, CrCl 69-90 mL/min, CrCl > 90 mL/min) and followed for 2 years regarding death and/or myocardial infarction (MI).

In the noninvasive cohort, the rate of death or MI at 2 years was 22.4% at CrCl < 69 mL/min, 14.6% at CrCl 60-90 mL/min, and 11.6% at CrCl > 90 mL/min. In the invasive cohort, the rate of death or MI was reduced to 14.6% (P = .003) at CrCl < 69 mL/min and to 9.9% (P = .048) at CrCl 69 to 90 mL/min, but no significant reduction (11.2%) at CrCl > 90 mL/min. In a logistic regression analysis adjusting for other important covariables, CrCl < 69 mL/min remained independently associated with the risk of the combined end point in the noninvasively treated group (odds ratio, 1.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-3.42) but not in the invasively treated group (odds ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 0.56-2.14). When the interaction term for treatment strategy and CrCl group was included in the analysis, the interaction between treatment strategy and CrCl <90 mL/min was independently associated with the risk of future MI (P = .006).

In unstable CAD, an early invasive treatment strategy reduces the long-term risk of future death and MI in patients with mildly to moderately reduced CrCl.