Lipid-lowering therapy and percutaneous coronary interventions

Although technological and procedural advances have resulted in substantial improvements in clinical outcomes following percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), recurrent coronary events may occur despite achieving optimal procedural results. Beyond myocardial revascularisation failure related to anatomical or stent-related factors, adverse cardiovascular events post PCI often arise from non-culprit lesions not treated during index interventions. While stenting treats a focal manifestation of a systemic, progressive disease, the residual risk following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or elective PCI is largely related to the systemic pro-atherogenic effects of suboptimally controlled cardiovascular risk factors. Lowering atherogenic lipid levels, in particular low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), can halt the progression of coronary atherosclerosis and improve cardiovascular outcomes to an extent that is proportional to the magnitude of LDL-C reduction. Early (in-hospital) initiation of intensive statin therapy leads to a very early clinical benefit following ACS, and prolonged adherence to optimised lipid-lowering treatment effectively reduces longer-term cardiovascular events following PCI. Therefore, achieving guideline-recommended treatment goals for LDL-C with statins and, if indicated, with the addition of non-statin lipid-lowering drugs should become a priority for all physicians involved in the treatment of patients with coronary heart disease, including comprehensive strategies initiated during the in-hospital care of patients undergoing coronary interventions. This review article summarises current evidence on the role of LDL-C in the development and progression of coronary atherosclerosis, discusses the clinical benefits of intensive lipid-lowering treatments, and presents current guideline recommendations, with emphasis on patients undergoing PCI.