Improved cardiac function after sirolimus-eluting stent placement in diabetic patients by pioglitazone: Combination therapy with statin

SummaryBackgroundPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) agonists are used as anti-diabetic drugs, and their pleiotrophic action has been reported to improve endothelial function leading to cardioprotective effects. In this study we evaluated the long-term effect of pioglitazone on cardiac function in diabetic patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by drug-eluting stent (DES).Methods and resultsWe investigated 54 diabetic patients who received PCI using a sirolimus-eluting stent. We excluded cases of acute myocardial infarction. They were divided into two groups: Group C received only conventional therapy (n = 26) and Group P received additionally pioglitazone 15 mg/day (n = 28). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured by left ventriculography and analyzed before and 8 months after PCI. In Group C, LVEF did not change significantly: 55.6% vs. 56.7%, before and after PCI respectively (p = 0.58). However, pioglitazone significantly improved LVEF: 54.4% vs. 60.0% (p = 0.014). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that ΔLVEF was significantly related to pioglitazone therapy (p = 0.037). In particular, the combination of pioglitazone and statin improved LVEF (ΔLVEF 9.6% with vs. 2.2% without statin).ConclusionsPioglitazone improved cardiac function after PCI using SES in diabetic patients, especially in combination with a statin.