The Canadian CABG or PCI in Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy Trial (STICH3C)

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Heart Failure Systolic; Coronary Artery Disease

Treatments: Procedure: Revascularization by CABG; Procedure: Revascularization by PCI

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05427370

v.1.6 August 22, 2025;

Details and patient eligibility

About

The Canadian CABG or PCI in Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy (STICH3C) trial is a prospective, unblinded, international multi-center randomized trial of 754 subjects enrolled in approximately 45 centers comparing revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) vs. coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with multivessel/left main (LM) coronary artery disease (CAD) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

The primary objective is to determine whether CABG compared to PCI is associated with a reduction in all-cause death, stroke, spontaneous myocardial infarction (MI), urgent repeat revascularization (RR), or heart failure (HF) readmission over a median follow-up of 5 years in patients with multivessel/LM CAD and ischemic left ventricular dysfunction (iLVSD).

Eligible patients are considered by the local Heart Team appropriate and amenable for non-emergent revascularization by both modes of revascularization.

The secondary objectives are to describe the early risks of both procedures, and a comprehensive set of patient-reported outcomes longitudinally.

Full description

The evidence comparing PCI and CABG with medical therapy in patients with iLVSD has been the subject of multiple systematic reviews/meta-analyses of observational studies with inconsistent results. There is a current lack of evidence from properly powered randomized trials comparing contemporary state-of-the-art PCI vs. CABG to guide the clinical management in the vulnerable population of patients with iLVSD. Understanding the relative impact of both revascularization strategies on clinical outcomes in this prevalent population would have important clinical implications.

The overarching aim of the STICH3C trial is to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of contemporary PCI and CABG to treat patients with multivessel/left main (LM) CAD and iLVSD.

Participants will be allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either study arm using permuted block randomization stratified for study center and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) presentation through a centrally controlled, automated, web system. Eligible patients who provide informed consent can be enrolled. It is expected that initial revascularization will take place within 2 weeks of randomization. Staged PCI is expected to take place within 90 days of randomization. The recruitment will occur over 3 years, with a total study duration of 7 years, and a median duration of follow-up of 5 years.

Enrollment: 754 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Age >18 years;
2. LVEF ≤40% quantified by either echocardiography, SPECT ventriculography, or magnetic resonance within 2 months of randomization;
3. Prognostically important multivessel CAD (triple vessel CAD or double vessel disease including the left anterior descending (LAD) or LM). Significant coronary stenosis is defined as ≥ 70% based on coronary angiography, and/or fractional flow reserve (FFR) ≤0.80 or instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) ≤0.89. For LM disease, significant coronary stenosis is defined as >50% based on coronary angiography, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) minimal luminal area (MLA) ≤6.0 mm2 (<4.5 mm2 Asian descent), or equivalent optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements;
4. The institutional Heart Team agrees that guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) has been initiated for ≥1 month in prevalent and newly diagnosed cases. In patients hospitalized with newly diagnosed iLVSD (with or without acute coronary syndrome (ACS)) requiring revascularization before discharge, GDMT needs to be initiated, when possible in-hospital before randomization, with the expectation that it will be titrated to maximally tolerated doses after revascularization;
5. Signed informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

1. Decompensated HF requiring inotropic/adrenergic support, invasive or non-invasive ventilation or intra-aortic balloon pump/ventricular assist device therapy less than 48 hours prior to randomization;
2. Recent (<4 weeks) ST-elevation MI;
3. Concomitant severe valvular disease or other condition such as left ventricular aneurysm requiring surgical repair or replacement;
4. Planned major concomitant surgical procedures (LAAO and AF ablation surgical procedures permitted);
5. Prior PCI within the past 12 months (to reduce restenosis events from prior PCIs contributing to the primary outcome);
6. Prior cardiac surgery;
7. Prohibitive bleeding risk mandating avoidance of dual antiplatelet therapy;
8. Circumstances likely to lead to poor treatment adherence;
9. Severe end-organ dysfunction (such as dialysis, liver failure, respiratory failure, cancer) that reduces life expectancy to less than 5 years;
10. Current pregnancy;
11. Patient not amenable to both CABG or PCI according to the Heart Team;
12. Takotsubo/Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/Broken Heart Syndrome.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

754 participants in 2 patient groups

Revascularization by PCI

Experimental group

Description:

Revascularization will be attempted on/for significant lesions in major coronary vessels/side branches as planned by the local Heart Team, with the general recommendation of stenotic/occluded vessels with diameter \>2.0 mm for PCI. The Heart Team consists of a minimum of one heart failure cardiologist, one interventional cardiologist and one cardiac surgeon.

Treatment:

Procedure: Revascularization by PCI

Revascularization by CABG

Experimental group

Description:

Revascularization will be attempted on/for significant lesions in major coronary vessels/side branches as planned by the local Heart Team, with the general recommendation of stenotic/occluded vessels with diameter \>1.5 mm for CABG. The Heart Team consists of a minimum of one heart failure cardiologist, one interventional cardiologist and one cardiac surgeon

Treatment:

Procedure: Revascularization by CABG