This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: j.jacc.2007.08.010v1 50/16/1604    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Diamond, G. A. Articles by Kaul, S. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Diamond, G. A. Articles by Kaul, S.

EXPEDITED PUBLICATION: COMMENTARY

COURAGE Under Fire

On the Management of Stable Coronary Disease

Division of Cardiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California.

Manuscript received August 9, 2007; revised manuscript received August 17, 2007, accepted August 27, 2007.

^_* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. George A. Diamond, 2408 Wild Oak Drive, Los Angeles, California 90068. (Email: gadiamond{at}pol.net).

The COURAGE (Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation) trial showed that coronary interventional procedures added little to optimal medical therapy with respect to the long-term outcome of patients with stable coronary disease when used as initial therapy. Detractors opine that: 1) the trial was unrealistic in design and the findings were not unexpected; 2) the use of coronary interventional procedures was suboptimal; and 3) the results of COURAGE are not applicable to current clinical practice. We herein reevaluate the evidence with regard to each of these points, and conclude that COURAGE indeed provides relevant new information to assist the practitioner in the appropriate management of patients with stable coronary disease

Abbreviations and Acronyms   DES = drug-eluting stent(s)   MI = myocardial infarction   NYHA = New York Heart Association   OMT = optimal medical therapy   PCI = percutaneous coronary intervention

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. N. DeMaria, J. J. Bax, O. Ben-Yehuda, P. Clopton, G. K. Feld, G. S. Ginsburg, B. H. Greenberg, J. D. Knoke, W. Y.W. Lew, J. A.C. Lima, et al. Highlights of the year in JACC 2007. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., January 29, 2008; 51(4): 490 - 512. [Full Text] [PDF]