Gender-based disparities in outcomes of coronary bifurcation stenting in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Around 15-20% of lesions necessitating percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are attributed to coronary bifurcation lesions. We aim to study gender-based differences in PCI outcomes among bifurcation stents.

Methods: 3 studies were included after thorough systematic search using MEDLINE (EMBASE and PubMed). CRAN-R software using the Metabin module was used for statistical analysis. Pooled odds ratios (OR) were calculated using the random effect model and the Mantel-Haenszel method, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) used to determine statistical significance. Heterogeneity was assessed using Higgins I².

Result: Women exhibited a higher risk of in-hospital mortality (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.58-0.76, I² = 0%, P < 0.0001), post-procedural bleeding (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.47-0.6, I² = 0%, P < 0.0001) and post-procedure stroke (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.52-1.0, I² = 0%, P < 0.06) as compared to men. However, there were no significant differences in terms of myocardial infarction (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.22-3.27, I² = 49.4%, P < 0.80) and cardiac tamponade (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.06; 5.72, I² = 0%, P < 0.6821) in both groups.

Conclusion: Our study reveals a noteworthy increase in in-hospital mortality in women, which could be attributed to a higher rate of major bleeding, advanced age, increased co-morbidities, and complex pathophysiology of the lesion in comparison to men. Further studies are required to gain a better understanding of the precise mechanisms thus enhancing procedural outcomes.