Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in Patients
Transcription
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in Patients
ORIGINAL INVESTIGATION Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease and Absence of Heart Failure or Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction An Overview of Long-term Randomized Controlled Trials Nicolas Danchin, MD, FESC; Michel Cucherat, MD, PhD; Christian Thuillez, MD; Eric Durand, MD; Zena Kadri, MD; Philippe G. Steg, MD, FESC Background: Results of randomized trials of angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and preserved left ventricular function are conflicting. We undertook this study to determine whether long-term prescription of angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors decreases major cardiovascular events and mortality in patients who have CAD and no evidence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and IPA databases, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (19902004), and reports from scientific meetings (20032004), and we reviewed secondary sources. Search terms included angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, coronary artery disease, randomi(s)zed controlled trials, clinical trials, and myocardial infarction. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials in patients who had CAD and no heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction, with follow-up f 2 years or longer. Of 1146 publications screened, 7 met our selection criteria and included a total of 33 960 patients followed up for a mean of 4.4 years. A Author Affiliations: Department of Cardiology, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou (Drs Danchin, Durand, and Kadri) and Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard (Dr Steg), Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, Service de Biostatistique, Hôpitaux de Lyon, Lyon (Dr Cucherat), Service de Pharmacologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Hôpitaux de Rouen, Rouen (Dr Thuillez), France. Results: Five trials included only patients with documented CAD. One trial included patients with documented CAD (80%) or patients who had diabetes mellitus and 1 or more additional risk factors, and another trial included patients who had CAD, a history of transient ischemic attack, or intermittent claudication. Treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors decreased overall mortality (odds ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.790.93), cardiovascular mortality (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-0.90), myocardial infarction (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.89), and stroke (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.88). Other end points, including resuscitation after cardiac arrest, myocardial revascularization, and hospitalization because of heart failure, were also reduced. Conclusion: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors reduce total mortality and major cardiovascular end points in patients who have CAD and no left ventricular systolic dysfunction or heart failure. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:787-796 NGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are an undisputed treatment in patients who have congestive heart failure or coronary artery disease (CAD) and concomitant left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. 1,2 In patients who have CAD without heart failure or frank LV dysfunction, however, randomized trials have yielded discrepant results.3-5 Inasmuch as other classes of medications are beneficial in patients with CAD6-8 and because only limited resources can be allocated to secondary prevention in these patients, it is important to determine whether routine use of ACE inhibitors in this patient population is useful in preventing cardiovascular events and if current recommendations9 are appropriate. The purpose of this analysis was to assess the long-term effects of ACE (REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 787 inhibitor therapy in patients who have CAD and no signs of heart failure or severe LV dysfunction. The general goal of the analysis was to provide information complementary to that provided by previous meta-analyses in patients who have CAD and either signs of heart failure or impaired systolic function.1,2 See also page 797 The present meta-analysis focuses on all-cause mortality and major cardiovascular end points (ie, cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction [MI], and stroke). In addition, we studied the effects of ACE inhibitor therapy on “softer” end points, such as myocardial revascularization, hospitalization because of angina or congestive heart failure, and the development of diabetes mellitus. WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. 1146 Potentially Relevant Publications Screened 1017 Publications Excluded on Basis of Title or Abstract 129 Publications Retrieved for Detailed Review 72 Publications Excluded (Reviews, Secondary Analyses, or Different Target Populations) 57 Prospective Trials in Patients With CAD 22 Post-MI Trials 19 Short-term Trials on Anti-Ischemic Effects 1 Post-CABG Trial With LV Dysfunction 1 Post-CABG Trial With 12-mo Follow-up 6 Post-PCI Trials With 6-mo Follow-up 1 Post-PCI Trial, Not Placebo-Controlled 7 Prospective Trials With ≥2-y Follow-up Figure 1. Diagram illustrating the search strategy for meta-analysis of long-term administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and no left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. CABG indicates coronary artery bypass grafting; MI, myocardial infarction; and PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS TRIAL SEARCH STRATEGY To identify randomized controlled trials of ACE inhibitor therapy vs placebo in patients who had stable CAD, we conducted a systematic search of the MEDLINE database (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Md; 1990-2004), limited to studies in human beings, EMBASE (through 2004), and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (through 2004); and we reviewed secondary sources. The search was performed using Web-based tools (PubMed, Embase.com, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Ovid, Medscape, and Scholar Google). Relevant articles were selected on the basis of their titles or abstracts and were searched manually, particularly for the references cited in reviews, commentaries, and other selected publications. National and international colleagues were contacted to limit the risk for selection bias. We searched presentations at scientific meetings (American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and European Society of Cardiology) in 2003 and 2004. Search terms included angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, coronary artery disease, randomi(s)zed controlled trials, clinical trials, and myocardial infarction. TRIAL INCLUSION CRITERIA Weincludedallplacebo-controlledrandomizedtrialswithafollowup of 2 years or longer performed in patients who had stable CAD and either no signs or symptoms of heart failure or no documented LV dysfunction (defined as left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] ⬍0.35). The rationale for all trials was to determine whether ACE inhibitors would have an effect on the course of atherosclerotic disease. As for other classes of medications, such as statin drugs, a suf(REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 788 ficient duration of exposure to the study drug is required to document a protective effect. Because the events curves in HOPE (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study)3 and EUROPA (European Trial on Reduction of Cardiac Events With Perindopril in Stable Coronary Artery Disease)4 diverged only after 12 to 24 months, we set the threshold for treatment duration at 2 years. However, wefoundnotrialthatmetourinclusioncriteriaandthathadafollowupof1to2years.Alltrialsincludedeitherpatientswithdocumented CAD4,5,10-12 or a high proportion with CAD,3,13 with the rest having other forms of atherosclerotic disease or being at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Risk in these latter populations was similar to that in patients with documented CAD in the corresponding trials; in addition, in HOPE, the effect of ACE inhibitor therapy was also highly significant when the analysis was restricted to the subset of patients with documented CAD. The ejection fraction threshold for defining clinically relevant LV dysfunction is usually 0.35 or, more frequently, 0.40. We accepted 0.35 as the lower limit and excluded trials in which an upper limit for LVEF was set (APRES [Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibition Post Revascularization Study]).14 In both HOPE and EUROPA, measurement of LVEF was not a prerequisite for inclusion. However, subsequent analyses in patients in whom LVEF had been determined showed that in both trials LVEF was greater than 0.40 in more than 90% of patients. The qualifying studies were checked for adequate blinding of randomization, completeness of follow-up, and methods of qualification of outcome events. All trials had to report information on the prespecified principal outcomes (all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, or MI). We also analyzed secondary end points when reported similarly in at least 2 trials. These included stroke, cardiac arrest, myocardial revascularization, hospitalization because of unstable angina, hospitalization because of heart failure, and onset of diabetes mellitus in patients previously without diabetes mellitus. A QUOROM (Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses)15 diagram of the study selection process is shown in Figure 1. Among articles excluded on the basis of their titles or abstracts, 49% were excluded because they were not randomized, 32% because they did not involve ACE inhibitors, 12% because the target population was different, and 7% because there were no placebo controls; many studies were excluded for multiple causes. To assess study quality, we evaluated trials for the adequacy of allocation concealment, blindness of patients and physicians to the treatment, and blind assessment of the outcome of interest. We used the criteria recommended by Altman and Schulz16 and Juni et al17 to decide whether treatment allocation was adequately concealed. Two physicians (N.D. and M.C.) graded each of the trials included in the meta-analysis. We did not use a summary score to identify trials of low or high quality, or perform weighting by quality scores because this practice has been discouraged by some investigators.17-19 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Because of lack of access to individual patient data from the trials, we used the figures reported in the articles describing the trial results, on intention-to-treat analyses. We used EasyMA 2001 software20 (developed by M.C.) for the analyses. The meta-analysis was performed using odds ratios (ORs) as the parameter of efficacy. Odds ratios were combined using inverse varianceweighted averages of their logarithmics in fixed-effects models. Other methods (relative risk random model, relative risk Greenland-Robins, Mantel-Haenszel test, or Peto’s method for OR) provided similar results. In the case of absence of an event in one group of patients, a pseudo-count method was used to calculate the OR, adding a value of 0.25 event in each group. Between-study heterogeneity was analyzed using standard 2 tests (Cochran), with P⬍.05 deemed statistically significant. Where WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. no significant statistical heterogeneity was identified, the fixedeffect estimate was used preferentially as the summary measure. In addition, sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the contribution of each study by excluding individual trials one at a time and recalculating the pooled ORs for the remaining trials. Publication bias was assessed graphically using a funnel plot of the logarithm of effect size vs the standard error for each trial, and mathematically using an adjusted rank correlation test, according to the method of Begg and Mazumdar.21 RESULTS We identified 7 trials that met our inclusion criteria.3-5,10-13 Five trials4,5,10-12 enrolled only patients with documented CAD. One trial3 enrolled patients with coronary disease or patients with diabetes mellitus who were 55 years or older and who had at least 1 additional risk factor. In this trial, however, 80% of the population enrolled had documented CAD. The last trial13 enrolled patients who had CAD (68% of the trial population), intermittent claudication, or transient ischemic attack. The trial names, acronyms, designs, and main baseline characteristics of the patients included are summarized in Table 1 and Table 2. Five ACE inhibitors were tested, and 2 of the trials3,4 used doses higher than those usually necessary for antihypertensive therapy. The study populations ranged from 460 to 12 218 patients (total, 33 960 patients), and the duration of follow-up ranged from 2 to 5 years (mean, 4.4 years). One trial11 had a 3-arm treatment design and compared the effectiveness of enalapril with amlodipine and placebo; for the purpose of our analysis, only data from the enalapril and placebo treatment arms were considered. Another trial12 had a 2⫻2factorial design that compared enalapril treatment with placebo and simvastatin treatment with placebo. The primary end point of each trial differed, but all trials reported all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and MI. Cardiovascular mortality in the PEACE (Prevention of Events With Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition) trial 5 did exclude death from unknown causes. Stroke was not a reported end point in QUIET (Quinapril Ischemic Event Trial),10 and a combination of stroke and transient ischemic attack was reported in the CAMELOT (Comparison of Amlodipine vs Enalapril to Limit Occurrences of Thrombosis) trial.11 The overall quality of the trials was assessed by analysis of data given in the protocol and design publications, and the main publications presenting the results of the trials.3-5,10-13,22-27 Both graders (N.D. and M.C.) were concordant in attributing a score of 5 to all trials. We found no consistent visual or statistical evidence of publication bias (P value of Begg and Mazumdar21 and test range from 0.18-0.65). ALL-CAUSE AND CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITIES All-cause mortality (Figure 2A) was lower in the treatment arms compared with the placebo arms of all trials except one,11 and the reduction was statistically significant in HOPE.3 There was no heterogeneity among the trials, and the meta-analysis showed a 14% reduction in (REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 789 mortality (P⬍.001). Likewise, cardiovascular mortality (Figure 2B) was consistently reduced by ACE inhibition across all trials except CAMELOT,11 with a significant reduction in HOPE and a highly significant 19% reduction in the meta-analysis (P⬍.001). Sensitivity analyses were performed after individual exclusion of HOPE, EUROPA, and PEACE. After exclusion of HOPE, the OR for all-cause mortality was slightly less at 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-0.98) but remained statistically significant, and the OR for cardiovascular mortality was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.76-1.01; P=.07). After exclusion of EUROPA, the respective ORs were 0.85 (95% CI, 0.770.94) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.70-0.90). Conversely, exclusion of PEACE yielded slightly higher risk reductions in total and cardiovascular mortalities. MI AND STROKE Significant reductions in acute MI with ACE inhibitor therapy were found in both HOPE and EUROPA (Figure 3A).3,4 Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition seemed to have had no effect on the MI rate in PEACE,5 and nonsignificant reductions were observed in the other trials.10-13 Overall, there was an 18% reduction in MI (P⬍.001) with ACE inhibitor therapy. Stroke was less frequent in patients receiving ACE inhibitors in all trials except PART-2 (Prevention of Atherosclerosis with Ramipril Trial-2)13 (Figure 3B), and the reduction achieved statistical significance in HOPE.3 Overall, ACE inhibitors resulted in a 23% relative reduction in the occurrence of stroke (or transient ischemic attack in CAMELOT) (P⬍.001). The sensitivity analyses after exclusion of either HOPE or EUROPA resulted in an attenuation of the benefit in terms of MI (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.95, and OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76-0.93, respectively), but the reduction remained statistically significant. For stroke, the OR was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.70-1.04) after exclusion of HOPE and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.60-0.83) after exclusion of EUROPA. Conversely, exclusion of PEACE resulted in slightly higher risk reductions. OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC END POINTS Five trials3-5,11,13 analyzed the occurrence of hospitalization because of congestive heart failure (Figure 4A) and showed a reduction in this end point in patients receiving ACE inhibitors. The reduction was significant in EUROPA4 and PEACE.5 Overall, the risk was reduced by 23% (P⬍.001). Hospitalization because of unstable angina was reported in 4 trials3,4,10,13 (Figure 4B), and the effect of ACE inhibitor therapy on this end point was neutral (3% risk reduction; P =.06). In the 6 trials3-5,10-12 in which rates of myocardial revascularization were reported (Figure 4C), the risk was reduced by 8% (P⬍.01). Cardiac arrest was a rare event in all trials, with a significant (P⬍.001) 42% risk reduction in the metaanalysis. Two trials3,4 reported the rate of new onset of diabetes mellitus in patients initially without diabetes mellitus (Figure 4D) and found an overall 23% reduction with ACE inhibitor therapy compared with placebo (P⬍.001). WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Table 1. Main Features of Randomized Trials Included in Meta-analysis HOPE3 Feature QUIET10 PART-213 SCAT12 EUROPA4 PEACE5 CAMELOT11 Main inclusion and exclusion criteria Age ⱖ55 y; Age range, Age ⱕ75 y; Age ⱖ21 y; Age ⬎18 y; Age ⱖ40 y; Age range, history of CAD, 18-75 y; history of acute documented CAD documented documented 30-79 y; CAG stroke, PVD or successful MI; angina with on coronary CAD without CAD with LVEF and ⱖ1 stenosis DM with ⱖ1 PCI; LDL-C positive angiograph; LVEF heart failure; ⬎40%; no ⬎20%; LVEF RF; no heart level, ⱕ4.3 angiograph or ⱖ35%; total no recent MI recent ACS ⱖ40%; no heart failure; LVEF mmol/L; no positive cholesterol level, (3 mo) or (2 mo) or recent failure; DBP not not known to previous exercise test 4.1-6.2 mmol/L; revascularization revascularization ⱖ100 mm Hg; be ⬍40%; no CABG; SBP results; TIA; HDL-C level ⬍2.2 (6 mo); and SBP (3 mo); serum no ACE-I therapy; uncontrolled ⱖ100 mm Hg intermittent mmol/L; ⱕ180 mm Hg or creatinine level and no ARB or hypertension; and ⱕ160 claudication; no triglyceride levels DBP ⬎100 ⬎2.0 mg/dL; CCB therapy no recent (4 mm Hg; DBP CHF; SBP ⬍4 mmol/L; no mm Hg and no ARB wk) MI or ⱕ100 mm Hg; ⱕ160 mm Hg; PCI or CABG therapy stroke; and no LVEF not DBP ⱕ100 (⬍6 mo); and no ACE-I therapy ⬍40%; no mm Hg; and no clinical instability recent MI specific (⬍7 d) or indication or other PCI contraindication (⬍3 mo); no for ACE-I LLDs; no therapy CCBs; and no ACE-I therapy Medication tested Ramipril, 10 mg Quinapril Ramipril, (administered hydrochloride, 5-10 mg in evening) for 20 mg 7-10 d at 2.5 mg, followed by placebo for 10-14 d Primary end point CV death, MI, or stroke Cardiac death, Ultrasound Angiographic end CV death, MI, or resuscitated measurements point: average cardiac arrest cardiac arrest, of carotid far per patient nonfatal MI, wall thickness change between CABG, PCI, or and left baseline and hospitalization ventricular closeout because of mass; and angiograms; angina clinical events recorded recorded individual clinical events: death, acute MI, stroke, hospitalization because of angina, revascularization, or cancer CV death, MI, or CV death, MI, coronary resuscitated revascularization cardiac arrest, coronary revascularization, stroke, hospitalization because of angina or heart failure, TIA, or new peripheral vascular disease Population size, No. who were treated/No. who received placebo 4645/4652 878/872 308/309 4158/4132 Decrease in SBP, active treatment vs placebo 3 mm Hg at 2 y and end of study NA 6 mm Hg at 2 y, 3.9 mm Hg, average 5 mm Hg, average 3.0 mm Hg at 5 mm Hg at 5 y during follow-up during follow-up 36 mo 5.6 mm Hg, average during follow-up Follow-up, y 5 27 4.7 4 4.2 (mean) 4.8 (median) 2 2.2 1.6 4.3* 0.7 0.7 2.8 1.7 1.2 NA 1.2 0.75 2.1† 1.7 1.0 2.4 1.8 0.8 1.9 0.45 0.15 1.9* Annual event rates in placebo groups, % All-cause death CV death CV death, MI, cardiac arrest Enalapril maleate, Perindopril, 10 mg twice a 8 mg, for 4 wk day (2 ⫻ 2 factorial design with simvastatin, 40 mg) 229/231 6110/6108 Trandolapril, Enalapril maleate, 2 mg, for 6 mo, 10 mg twice a then either 2 mg day (third arm, or 4 mg at amlodipine discretion of maleate, 5 mg) investigators if twice a day SBP ⱖ110 mm Hg, for 2 wk 673/655 Abbreviations: ACE-I, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ACS, acute coronary syndrome; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; CABG, coronary artery bypass grafting; CAD, coronary artery disease; CAG, coronary angiography; CAMELOT, Comparison of Amlodipine vs Enalapril to Limit Occurrences of Thrombosis; CCB, calcium channel blocker; CHF, congestive heart failure; CV, cardiovascular; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; DM, diabetes mellitus; EUROPA, European Trial on Reduction of Cardiac Events With Perindopril in Stable Coronary Artery Disease; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HOPE, Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation study; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LLDs, lipid-lowering drugs; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MI, myocardial infarction; NA, not available or not applicable; PART-2, Prevention of Atherosclerosis with Ramipril Trial; PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; PEACE, Prevention of Events With Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition; PVD, peripheral vascular disease; QUIET, QUinapril Ischemic Events Trial; RF, risk factor; SBP, systolic blood pressure; SCAT, Simvastatin/Enalapril Coronary Atherosclerosis Trial; TIA, transient ischemic attack. SI conversion factors: To convert cholesterol to millimoles per liter multiply by 0.0259; triglycerides to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0113. *Composite of numbers of CV deaths, MIs, and cardiac arrests. †Composite of numbers of CV deaths and nonfatal MIs. (REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 790 WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Table 2. Main Characteristics of Patients Included in Randomized Trials Included in Meta-analysis* Characteristic HOPE3 Age, y Sex, M/F BMI SBP at enrollment, mm Hg DBP at enrollment, mm Hg Previous MI Previous PCI Previous CABG Previous revascularization Stroke or TIA Current smoking Hypertension Diabetes mellitus Hyperlipidemia 66 73/27 28 139 79 53 18 26 NA 11 14 47 38 66 LDL-C level, mg/dL Total cholesterol level, mg/dL Serum creatinine level, mg/dL LLDs NA NA NA 29 -Blockers Antiplatelet agents Calcium channel blockers Diuretics 40 76 47 15 QUIET10 58 82/18 26 123 74 49 100 0 100 NA 22 47 16 NA PART-213 SCAT12 EUROPA4 61 82/18 NA 133 79 42 NA NA NA 10 16 NA 9 NA 61 89/11 NA 130 78 70 NA NA NA NA 15 36 11 NA NA NA NA 29 130 200 NA Randomization to simvastatin vs placebo 47 90 14 NA 124 194 1.3 0.1 26 73 (Aspirin) 0 NA 43 81 25 NA 60 85/15 NA 137 82 65 29 29 55 3 ? 27 12 63 (Cholesterol ⬎6.5 mmol/L or LLDs) NA NA NA 58 62 92 31 9 PEACE5 CAMELOT11 64 82/18 NA 133 78 55 41.5 39 72 6.5 14.5 45.5 17 NA 58 72/28 30 129 77 39 29 7.5 NA 4 (Stroke) 26 60 19 NA NA 192 1.0 70 101 60 90 35 13 NA NA 83 (Statins) 77 95 (Aspirin) 9 30 Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters); CABG, coronary artery bypass grafting; CAMELOT, Comparison of Amlodipine vs Enalapril to Limit Occurrences of Thrombosis; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; EUROPA, European Trial on Reduction of Cardiac Events With Perindopril in Stable Coronary Artery Disease; HOPE, Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation study; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LLDs, lipid-lowering drugs; MI, myocardial infarction; PART-2, Prevention of Atherosclerosis with Ramipril; PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; PEACE, Prevention of Events With Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition; QUIET, QUinapril Ischemic Event Trial; SCAT, Simvastatin/Enalapril Coronary Atherosclerosis Trial; SBP, systolic blood pressure; TIA, transient ischemic attack. SI conversion factors: To convert cholesterol to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259; serum creatinine to micromoles per liter, multiply by 88.4. *Data are given as percentages unless otherwise indicated. COMMENT In our meta-analysis of patients with either no heart failure or no LV systolic dysfunction, we found a significant reduction in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, MI, and stroke, as well as in several softer end points, such as hospitalization because of heart failure, myocardial revascularization, or new onset of diabetes mellitus (Table 3). These results confirm and extend those of a recently published meta-analysis of HOPE, EUROPA, and PEACE.28 TRIALS WITH ACE INHIBITORS EXCLUDED FROM META-ANALYSIS The ability of ACE inhibitors to prevent cardiovascular events in patients with CAD was assessed first in patients with poor LV function or heart failure. The meta-analysis of the trials including such patients1 showed a reduction in death (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.74-0.87), repeat MI (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.89), and hospital readmission because of heart failure (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.61-0.74) but no significant difference for stroke (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.80-1.15). The magnitude of risk reduction in our meta-analysis was nearly identical to that observed in the subgroup of 1428 patients with LVEF greater than 35% in the previous meta(REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 791 analysis of ACE inhibitors in patients who had coronary disease with poor LV function.1 Trials excluded from the meta-analysis are summarized in Table 4. In addition to the trials included in our systematic review, one trial14 included 159 patients with moderate LV dysfunction (LVEF, 0.30-0.50) randomized to receive ramipril or placebo for 33 months; ramipril therapy was associated with significantly fewer major cardiac events. Seven other trials29-35 compared short-term (6-12 months) administration of ACE inhibitors vs placebo in patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty. Clinical event rates in any of these short-term studies did not differ between patients who did or did not receive ACE inhibitors. POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE LACK OF STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN SOME TRIALS Methodologic Considerations In both QUIET and CAMELOT,10,11 the duration of follow-up may have been too short to demonstrate any benefit of ACE inhibitor therapy in terms of secondary prevention. In SCAT (Simvastatin/Enalapril Coronary Atherosclerosis Trial)12 and PART-2,13 follow-up was longer WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. All-Cause Death A Myocardial Infarction A OR, Fixed Model [Bilateral CI, 95% for Trials; 95% for MA] OR, Fixed Model [Bilateral CI, 95% for Trials; 95% for MA] OR OR QUIET 0.99 [0.58-1.70] QUIET 0.89 [0.56-1.41] HOPE 0.83 [0.73-0.95] HOPE 0.79 [0.69-0.90] PART-2 0.62 [0.33-1.19] PART-2 0.95 [0.49-1.84] SCAT 0.72 [0.29-1.84] SCAT 0.575 [0.22-1.49] EUROPA 0.88 [0.77-1.02] EUROPA 0.77 [0.66-0.90] PEACE 0.88 [0.75-1.04] PEACE 1.00 [0.82-1.22] CAMELOT 1.30 [0.45-3.77] CAMELOT 0.56 [0.26-1.18] Total 0.86 [0.79-0.93] Total 0.82 [0.75-0.89] Cochran Q het P = .87 Cochran Q het P = .87 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.6 0.8 1.0 OR B 1.2 OR B Cardiovascular Death Stroke OR, Fixed Model [Bilateral CI, 95% for Trials, 95% for MA] OR, Fixed Model [Bilateral CI, 95% for Trials, 95% for MA] OR OR QUIET 0.92 [0.42-2.02] HOPE 0.68 [0.55-0.84] HOPE 0.73 [0.63-0.86] PART-2 1.77 [0.51-0.12] PART-2 0.43 [0.19-1.01] SCAT 0.22 [0.05-1.02] SCAT 0.57 [0.16-1.97] EUROPA 0.96 [0.73-1.27] EUROPA 0.86 [0.71-1.03] PEACE 0.76 [0.56-1.04] PEACE 0.95 [0.76-1.20] CAMELOT 0.65 [0.26-1.59] CAMELOT 2.44 [0.47-12.65] Total 0.77 [0.66-0.88] 0.81 [0.73-0.90] Total Cochran Q het P = .24 Cochran Q het P = .15 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 OR 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 OR Figure 2. All-cause mortality (A) and cardiovascular mortality (B) in patients with coronary artery disease and no left ventricular systolic dysfunction randomized to long-term angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy or placebo. CAMELOT, Comparison of Amlodipine vs Enalapril to Limit Occurrences of Thrombosis11; CI, confidence interval; EUROPA, European Trial on Reduction of Cardiac Events With Perindopril in Stable Coronary Artery Disease4; het, heterogeneity; HOPE, Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation study3; MA, meta-analysis; OR, odds ratio; PART-2, Prevention of Atherosclerosis with Ramipril13; PEACE, Prevention of Events With Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition5; QUIET, QUinapril Ischemic Event Trial10; SCAT, Simvastatin/Enalapril Coronary Atherosclerosis Trial.12 and there was a trend favoring ACE inhibitors; however, neither trial had enough statistical power to document a significant effect for clinical events. In contrast, HOPE,3 EUROPA,4 and PEACE5 had both a long follow-up and a large population. However, in PEACE, the initial primary end point (cardiovascular death or MI) was modified during the course of the trial to include softer end points. Differences in Baseline Risk It has been suggested that the difference in outcomes in PEACE5 vs HOPE3 and EUROPA4 might be related to differences in baseline risk. Although mortality was higher in HOPE, both mortality and cardiovascular mortality were (REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 792 Figure 3. Nonfatal myocardial infarction (A) and stroke (B). Occurrence of stroke was not reported in the QUIET Trial. For an explanation of the abbreviations see the legend to Figure 2. similar in EUROPA and PEACE (Table 1). Furthermore, in HOPE and EUROPA, outcomes were consistent throughout subgroups defined according to the patients’ initial risk profile, including age, previous MI, or presence of peripheral vascular disease, or according to concomitant secondary prevention medications. The percentages of patients receiving antiplatelet agents, -blockers, and lipid-lowering agents were similar in EUROPA and PEACE. Effect of Blood Pressure Reduction The effect of the active treatment on blood pressure was reported in 6 of 7 trials (Table 1).There was no obvious relationship between the magnitude of blood pressure reduction and clinical events in the trials. Blood pressure reduction per se is not necessarily associated with cardiovascular protection in patients who have stable CAD and preserved LV function. ACTION (A Coronary Disease Trial Investigating Outcome With Nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system)56 failed to show a decrease in mortality and MI in patients receiving nifedipine, despite a reduction of 6 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure with this medication. WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Hospitalization Because of CHF A Hospitalization Because of UA B OR, Fixed Model [Bilateral CI, 95% for Trials; 95% for MA] OR, Fixed Model [Bilateral CI, 95% for Trials; 95% for MA] OR OR HOPE 0.88 [0.70-1.11] QUIET 1.16 [0.77-1.74] MacMahon 0.78 [0.29-2.11] HOPE 0.98 [0.86-1.11] EUROPA 0.61 [0.44-0.83] MacMahon 1.09 [0.69-1.71] PEACE 0.75 [0.58-0.95] EUROPA 0.93 [0.80-1.08] CAMELOT 0.78 [0.21-2.91] Total 0.97 [0.89-1.07] Total 0.76 [0.66-0.88] Cochran Q het P = .73 0.6 Cochran Q het P = .48 0.8 1.0 1.2 OR 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 OR Revascularization C New-Onset Diabetes Mellitus D OR, Fixed Model [Bilateral CI, 95% for Trials; 95% for MA] OR, Fixed Model [Bilateral CI, 95% for Trials; 95% for MA] OR OR QUIET 0.94 [0.78-1.14] HOPE 0.65 [0.51-0.84] HOPE 0.85 [0.76-0.95] PEACE 0.82 [0.70-0.96] SCAT 0.62 [0.32-1.19] Total 0.77 [0.68-0.88] EUROPA 0.96 [0.85-1.08] PEACE 0.99 [0.88-1.10] CAMELOT 0.88 [0.65-1.19] Total 0.92 [0.87-0.98] Cochran Q het P = .13 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 OR Cochran Q het P = .48 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 OR Figure 4. Hospitalization because of congestive heart failure (CHF) (A) or unstable angina (UA) (B); hospitalization for subsequent myocardial revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease and no left ventricular systolic dysfunction randomized to receive angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (C); and development of diabetes mellitus in patients without diabetes mellitus at inclusion in the study (D). For an explanation of the abbreviations see the legend to Figure 2. Table 3. Meta-analysis of Main Clinical End Points in Trials End Point All-cause death CV death MI Stroke* Cardiac arrest Hospitalization because of unstable angina† Myocardial revascularization Hospitalization because of heart failure* Onset of DM‡ Active Treatment/Placebo Odds Ratio (95% CI) P Value P Value for Heterogeneity 1215/1392 673/819 1048/1258 342/445 46/82 993/1019 2622/2788 330/429 437/554 0.86 (0.79-0.93) 0.81 (0.73-0.90) 0.82 (0.75-0.89) 0.77 (0.66-0.88) 0.58 (0.41-0.84) 0.97 (0.89-1.07) 0.92 (0.87-0.98) 0.76 (0.66-0.88) 0.77 (0.68-0.88) ⬍.001 ⬍.001 ⬍.001 ⬍.001 ⬍.001 .06 .008 ⬍.001 ⬍.001 .87 .24 .31 .15 .76 .73 .35 .48 .13 Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; CV, cardiovascular; DM, diabetes mellitus; MI, myocardial infarction. *End point not reported in QUIET (QUinapril Ischemic Event Trial).10 †End point not reported in PEACE (Prevention of Events With Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition)5 and CAMELOT (Comparison of Amlodipine vs Enalapril to Limit Occurrences of Thrombosis).11 ‡End point not reported in QUIET,10 EUROPA (European Trial on Reduction of Cardiac Events With Perindopril in Stable Coronary Artery Disease),4 CAMELOT,11 PART-2 (Prevention of Atherosclerosis with Ramipril),13 and SCAT (Simvastatin/Enalapril Coronary Atherosclerosis Trial).12 Individual Pharmacologic Properties of Agents Inasmuch as 5 different ACE inhibitors were tested in the trials, the individual properties of the ACE inhibitors57-59 may, at least in part, account for the dif(REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 793 ferences in clinical outcome. However, there is no obvious relationship between the pharmacologic properties (tissue affinity and lipophilicity) of the individual medications and their clinical benefit in the trials. WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Table 4. Trials Assessing ACE Inhibitors in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Excluded From Meta-analysis Source General Design Kjoller-Hansen et al14 Oosterga et al29 Multicenter European Research Trial With Cilazapril After Angioplasty to Prevent Transluminal Coronary Obstruction and Restenosis (MERCATOR) Study Group30 Faxon; Multicenter American Research Trial With Cilazapril After Angioplasty to Prevent Transluminal Coronary Obstruction and Restenosis (MARCATOR) Study Group31 Desmet et al32 33 Meurice et al 34 Kaul et al 35 Yamabe et al Otsuka et al36 Sadamatsu et al37 Di Mario et al38 Mancini et al39 40 Esper et al 41 Anderson et al Toyofyuku et al42 43 Koh et al 44 Thurmann and Rietbrock N Kaski et al45 van den Heuvel et al46 Pepine et al47 Morishita et al48 49 Dhawan et al Thurmann et al50 Bartels et al51 No. of Patients Follow-up; Comment 159 33 mo; Mild to moderate impairment of left ventricular function 149 12 mo 735 6 mo 1436 6 mo 304 6 mo 91 6 mo 95 6 mo 167 6 mo Ramipril; double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in patients with chronic stable angina, no heart failure, and left ventricular ejection fraction 0.30-0.50 undergoing myocardial revascularization; and assessment of clinical events Quinapril; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients who underwent coronary bypass surgery; exercise test and clinical events at 1 y Cilazapril; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; assessment of restenosis on coronary angiogram at 6 mo Cilazapril; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; assessment of restenosis on coronary angiogram at 6 mo Fosinopril sodium; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; assessment of restenosis on coronary angiogram Quinapril; randomized, placebo-controlled trial in patients with DD genotype; assessment of restenosis on coronary angiogram Enalapril; randomized open trial; assessment of restenosis on coronary angiogram at 6 mo Cilazapril begun 7 d before percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; angiographic end point Quinapril; randomized, nonplacebo-controlled open trial in patients after percutaneous coronary interventions; clinical outcomes at 4.8 y Enalapril; randomized open trial with control group; assessment of macrophage colony-stimulating factor Cilazapril 20 mg; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; assessment of coronary vasomotion during coronary angiography at 6 mo Quinapril; double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; assessment of response of coronary arteries to acetylcholine at 6 mo Enalapril; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; assessment of brachial artery vasodilation after 16 wk Quinapril, enalapril; double-blind trial; comparison of quinapril, enalapril, losartan potassium, and amlodipine; assessment of flow-mediated vasodilation Quinapril; randomized open trial; assessment with coronary angiography at 6 mo after percutaneous coronary angioplasty Ramipril; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial; assessment of flow-mediated vasodilation Spirapril hydrochloride; randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial; repeated exercise tests to assess myocardial ischemia Enalapril; randomized crossover trial; repeated exercise test after 2 wk Enalapril; double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; repeated exercise tests Quinapril; randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial; repeated exercise tests Perindopril; randomized open trial; evaluation with dobutamine stress echocardiography Captopril; randomized, double-blind trial; repeated exercise tests Benazepril hydrochloride; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial; repeated exercise tests Perindoprilat; randomized, placebo-controlled trial; assessment of hemodynamic effects 253 4.8 y 30 16 wk; No clinical events reported 34 6 mo 129 6 mo 38 16 wk 80 8 wk 253 6 mo 32 2 mo 19 2 wk 10 43 336 2 wk 12 wk 16 wk 12 3 mo 33 11 6 wk 2 wk 25 Watanabe et al52 Enalapril; acute evaluation of coronary artery diameter in patients treated with nitrates or enalapril plus nitrates, and in control subjects 60 Metelitsa et al53 Captopril, with or without isosorbide dinitrate; randomized single-blind trial; repeated exercise tests 14 Klein et al54 Benazepril; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial; repeated exercise tests 29 Unterberg et al55 Ramipril; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; repeated exercise tests 18 Abbreviation: ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme. (REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 794 WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. Acute effects following single administration during catheterization Acute effects following single administration during catheterization Acute effects on exercise test parameters assessed after a single-dose administration of the ACE inhibitor Acute effects on exercise test parameters assessed after a single-dose administration of the ACE inhibitor Acute effects on exercise test parameters assessed after a single-dose administration of the ACE inhibitor or market ACE inhibitors and was not supported, directly or indirectly, by grant money from sponsors. Dosage The dosage used in each of the trials differed, with the highest doses in HOPE3 and EUROPA.4 In PEACE,5 the initial dose of trandolapril was low (2 mg) and could be maintained at 2 mg or increased to 4 mg after 6 months, at the discretion of the physician, so that fewer than 69% of the patients received the 4-mg dose at any time during the trial. Because the 50% inhibitory concentration for plasma ACE for ramipril, perindopril, and trandolapril is similar,60-62 the 2- to 4-mg dose of trandolapril is comparatively less than the 10-mg dose of ramipril or the 8-mg dose of perindopril. Therefore, the 2 trials with definitely positive results used the highest doses. The clinical situation in which the therapeutic target is controlling the atherothrombotic process is different from that of heart failure, in which the level of activation of the renin-angiotensin system is such that even rather low doses of ACE inhibitors are effective. There is evidence that only the larger doses of ACE inhibitors can slow the progression of atherosclerotic disease. In SECURE (Study to Evaluate Carotid Ultrasound Changes in Patients With Ramipril and Vitamin E),63 2 doses of ramipril (2.5 mg and 10 mg) that yielded similar reductions in blood pressure were tested against placebo; only the 10-mg dose was associated with significant slowing of carotid atherosclerosis progression. CONCLUSIONS In this overview of randomized trials of ACE inhibitors for the long-term secondary prevention of CAD in patients without LV dysfunction or heart failure, active treatment was associated with a highly significant reduction in all-cause mortality and all major cardiovascular events. These results, along with those previously reported in patients who have CAD with LV dysfunction or heart failure, suggest that ACE inhibitor therapy should be systematically used in all patients with documented CAD and that continued efforts should be made to implement current secondary prevention guidelines. Accepted for Publication: October 5, 2005. Correspondence: Nicolas Danchin, MD, FESC, Department of Cardiology, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, 20 rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris, France (nicolas.danchin @egp.ap-hop-paris.fr). Financial Disclosure: Dr Danchin has been a speaker and has served on steering committees of studies sponsored by Sanofi-Aventis, Paris, France, which markets ramipril, and by Servier Medical, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, which markets perindopril. Dr Cucherat has been a consultant for Servier Medical. Dr Thuillez has been a speaker for Sanofi-Aventis and Servier Medical and has received research grants from Servier Medical. Dr Steg has been a speaker and consultant for Sanofi-Aventis and for Servier Medical and has received research grants from Aventis Pharma, Paris. He was a member of the Critical Events Committee for the EUROPA trial. Role of the Sponsor: This analysis was performed independently of all pharmaceutical firms that manufacture (REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 795 REFERENCES 1. Flather MD, Yusuf S, Kober L, et al. Long-term ACE-inhibitor therapy in patients with heart failure or left-ventricular dysfunction: a systematic overview of data of individual patients. Lancet. 2000;355:1575-1581. 2. Rodrigues EJ, Eisenberg MJ, Pilote L. Effects of early and late administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors on mortality after myocardial infarction. Am J Med. 2003;115:473-479. 3. Yusuf S, Sleight P, Pogue J, Bosch J, Davies R, Dagenais G; The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study investigators. Effects of an angiotensinconverting-enzyme inhibitor, ramipril, on cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. [published correction appear in N Engl J Med. 2000;342:748 and 2000; 242:1376]. N Engl J Med. 2000;342:145-153. 4. Fox KM. European Trial on Reduction of Cardiac Events With Perindopril in Stable Coronary Artery Disease investigators. Efficacy of perindopril on reduction of cardiovascular events among patients with stable coronary artery disease: randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre trial (the EUROPA study). Lancet. 2003;362:782-788. 5. Braunwald E, Domanski MJ, Fowler SE, et al; PEACE trial investigators. Angiotensinconverting-enzyme inhibition in stable coronary artery disease. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:2058-2068. 6. Antithrombotic Trialists’ Collaboration. Collaborative meta-analysis of randomised trials of antiplatelet therapy for prevention of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke in high risk patients [published correction appears in BMJ. 2002;324:141]. BMJ. 2002;324:71-86. 7. Freemantle N, Cleland J, Young P, Mason J, Harrison J. -Blockade after myocardial infarction: systematic review and meta regression analysis. BMJ. 1999; 318:1730-1737. 8. Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group. MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of cholesterol lowering with simvastatin in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2002;360:7-22. 9. Snow V, Barry P, Fihn SD, et al. Primary care management of chronic stable angina and asymptomatic suspected or known coronary artery disease: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2004; 141:562-567. 10. Pitt B, O’Neill B, Feldman R, et al. The QUinapril Ischemic Event Trial (QUIET): evaluation of chronic ACE inhibitor therapy in patients with ischemic heart disease and preserved left ventricular. Am J Cardiol. 2001;87:1058-1063. 11. Nissen SE, Tuzcu EM, Libby P, et al; CAMELOT Investigators. Effect of antihypertensive agents on cardiovascular events in patients with coronary disease and normal blood pressure: the CAMELOT study; a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2004;292:2217-2226. 12. Teo KK, Burton JR, Butler CE, et al. Long-term effects of cholesterol lowering and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on coronary atherosclerosis: the Simvastatin/Enalapril Coronary Atherosclerosis Trial (SCAT). Circulation. 2000; 102:1748-1754. 13. MacMahon S, Sharpe N, Gamble G, et al; PART-2 Collaborative Research Group. Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, ramipril, in patients with coronary or other occlusive arterial disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000;36:438-443. 14. Kjoller-Hansen L, Steffensen R, Grande P. The Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibition Post Revascularization Study (APRES). J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000; 35:881-888. 15. Moher D, Cook DJ, Eastwood S, Olkin I, Rennie D, Stroup DF. Improving the quality of reports of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials: the QUOROM statement: quality of reporting of meta-analyses. Lancet. 1999;354:1896-1900. 16. Altman DG, Schulz KF. Statistics notes: concealing treatment allocation in randomised trials. BMJ. 2001;323:446-447. 17. Juni P, Altman DG, Egger M. Systematic reviews in health care: assessing the quality of controlled clinical trials. BMJ. 2001;323:42-46. 18. Juni P, Witschi A, Bloch R, Egger M. The hazards of scoring the quality of clinical trials for meta-analysis. JAMA. 1999;282:1054-1060. 19. Greenland S. Invited commentary: a critical look at some popular meta-analytic methods. Am J Epidemiol. 1994;140:290-296. 20. Cucherat M, Boissel JP, Leizorovicz A, Haugh MC. EasyMA: a program for the metaanalysis of clinical trials. Comput Meth Programs Biomed. 1997;53:187-190. 21. Begg CB, Mazumdar M. Operating characteristics of a rank correlation test for publication bias. Biometrics. 1994;50:1088-1101. 22. Lees RS, Pitt B, Chan RC, et al. Baseline clinical and angiographic data in the Quinapril Ischemic Event (QUIET) Trial. Am J Cardiol. 1996;78:1011-1016. 23. Texter M, Lees RS, Pitt B, Dinsmore RE, Uprichard AC. The Quinapril Ischemic WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. Event Trial (QUIET) design and methods: evaluation of chronic ACE inhibitor therapy after coronary artery intervention. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1993;7:273-282. The HOPE Study investigators. The HOPE (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation) Study: the design of a large, simple randomized trial of an angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitor (ramipril) and vitamin E in patients at high risk of cardiovascular events. Can J Cardiol. 1996;12:127-137. Teo KK, Burton JR, Buller C, Plante S, Yokoyama S, Montague TJ; SCAT Investigators. Rationale and design features of a clinical trial examining the effects of cholesterol lowering and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on coronary atherosclerosis: Simvastatin/Enalapril Coronary Atherosclerosis Trial (SCAT). Can J Cardiol. 1997;13:591-599. Gomma AH, Fox KM. The EUROPA trial: design, baseline demography and status of the substudies. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 2001;15:169-179. Pfeffer MA, Domanski M, Rosenberg Y, et al. Prevention of events with angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibition (the PEACE study design). Am J Cardiol. 1998; 82:25H-30H. Yusuf S, Pogue J. ACE inhibition in stable coronary artery disease. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:937-938. Oosterga M, Voors AA, Pinto YM, et al. Effects of quinapril on clinical outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting (the QUO VADIS study). Am J Cardiol. 2001; 87:542-546. Multicenter European Research Trial with Cilazapril After Angioplasty to Prevent Transluminal Coronary Obstruction and Restenosis (MERCATOR) Study Group. Does the new angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor cilazapril prevent restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty? results of the MERCATOR study: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Circulation. 1992;86:100-110. Faxon DP; Multicenter American Research Trial With Cilazapril After Angioplasty to Prevent Transluminal Coronary Obstruction and Restenosis (MARCATOR) Study Group. Effect of high-dose angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on restenosis: final results of the MARCATOR study, a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of cilazapril. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1995;2:362-369. Desmet W, Vrolix M, De Scheerder I, Van Lierde J, Willems JL, Piessens J. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition with fosinopril sodium in the prevention of restenosis after coronary angioplasty. Circulation. 1994;89:385-392. Meurice T, Bauters C, Hermant X, et al. Effects of ACE inhibitors on angiographic restenosis after coronary stenting (PARIS): a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2001;357:1321-1324. Kaul U, Chandra S, Bahl VK, Sharma S, Wasir HS. Enalapril for prevention of restenosis after coronary angioplasty. Indian Heart J. 1993;45:469-473. Yamabe T, Imazu M, Yamaoto H, et al. Effect of cilazapril in vascular restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Coronary Artery Dis. 1995; 6:573-579. Otsuka M, Yamamoto H, Okimoto T, et al. Long-term effects of quinapril with high affinity for tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme after coronary intervention in Japanese. Am Heart J. 2004;147:662-668. Sadamatsu K, Shimokawa H, Tashiro H, Yamamoto K. Long-term treatment with enalapril reduces plasma concentrations of macrophage colony stimulating factor in patients with coronary artery disease. Heart. 2001;86:457-458. Di Mario C, Strikwerda S, Gil R, Azar A, Rames A, Serruys PW. Long-term changes in the response of conductance and resistance coronary vessels to endotheliumdependent and independent vasodilators: a double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effect of a 6-month treatment with cilazapril. Ital Heart J. 2000;1:674-683. Mancini GB, Henry GC, Macaya C, et al. the TREND (Trial on Reversing Endothelial Dysfunction) Study. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition with quinapril improves endothelial vasomotor dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease. Circulation. 1996;94:258-265. Esper RJ, Machado R, Vilarino J, et al. Endothelium-dependent resonses in patients with hypercholesterolemic coronary artery disease under the effects of simvastatin and enalapril, either separately or combined. Am Heart J. 2000;140: 684-689. Anderson TJ, Elstein E, Haber H, Charbonneau F. Comparative study of ACEinhibition, angiotensin II antagonism, and calcium-channel blockade on flowmediated vasodilatin in patients with coronary disease (BANFF study). J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000;35:60-66. (REPRINTED) ARCH INTERN MED/ VOL 166, APR 10, 2006 796 42. Toyofyuku M, Imazu M, Sumii K, et al. Influence of angiotensinogen M253T gene polymorphism and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor on restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention. Atherosclerosis. 2002;160:339-344. 43. Koh KK, Son JW, Ahn JY, et al. Vascular effects of simvastatin combined with ramipril in hypercholesterolemic patients with coronary artery disease, compared with simvastatin alone: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Atherosclerosis. 2004;177:147-153. 44. Thurmann P, Rietbrock N. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition with spirapril in patients with coronary artery disease. Blood Press. 1994;2(suppl):73-76. 45. Kaski JC, Rosano G, Gavrielides S, Chen L. Effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on exercise-induced angina and ST segment depression in patients with microvascular angina. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1994;23:652-657. 46. van den Heuvel AF, Dunselman PH, Kingma T, et al. Reduction of exerciseinduced myocardial ischemia during add-on treatment with the angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitor enalapril in patients with normal left ventricular function and optimal beta-blockage. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001;37:470-474. 47. Pepine CJ, Rouleau JL, Annis K, et al. Effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on transient ischemia: the Quinapril Anti-ischemia and Symptoms of Angina Reduction (QUASAR) trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;42:2049-2059. 48. Morishita T, Tsutsui M, Shimokawa H, et al. Long-term treatment with perindopril ameliorates dobutamine-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease. Jpn J Pharmacol. 2002;88:100-107. 49. Dhawan S, Soni D, Chandra N, Dviwedi S, Agarwal A, Puri VK. Use of captopril as an isolated agent for the management of stable angina pectoris: a doubleblind randomised trial. Indian Heart J. 1992;85:2004-2013. 50. Thurmann P, Odenthal HJ, Rietbrock N. Converting enzyme inhibition in coronary artery disease: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with benazepril. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1991;17:718-723. 51. Bartels GL, van den Heuvel FM, van Veldhuisen DJ, van der Ent M, Remme WJ. Acute anti-ischemic effects of perindoprilat in men with coronary artery disease and their relation with left ventricular function. Am J Cardiol. 1999;83:332-336. 52. Watanabe H, Kakihana M, Ohtsuka S, Sugishita Y. Effects of enalapril during continuous nitrate therapy: analysis of diameter of coronary arteries and platelet cyclic guanosine monophosphate. Am Heart J. 1997;134:614-621. 53. Metelitsa VI, Martsevich SY, Kozyreva MP, Slastnikova ID. Enhancement of the efficacy of isosorbide dinitrate by captopril in stable angina pectoris. Am J Cardiol. 1992;69:291-296. 54. Klein WW, Khurmi NS, Eber B, Dusleag J. Effects of benazepril and metoprolol OROS alone and in combination on myocardial ischemia in patients with chronic stable angina. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1990;16:948-956. 55. Unterberg C, Buchwald A, Vogt A, Wiegand V. Acute effects of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril in patients with coronary heart disease [in German]. Med Klin (Munich). 1990;85:78-81. 56. Poole-Wilson PA, Lubsen J, Kirwan BA, et al. Effect of long-acting nifedipine on mortality and cardiovascular morbidity in patients with stable angina requiring treatment (ACTION trial): randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2004;364:849-857. 57. Raasch W, Dendorfer A, Ball B, Dominiak P. The lipophilic properties of angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitors do not influence their diffusion through cultured endothelium. Jpn J Pharmacol. 1999;81:346-352. 58. Myers MG; Perindopril Multicentre Dose-Response Study Group. A doseresponse study of perindopril in hypertension effects on blood pressure 6 and 24 h after dosing. Can J Cardiol. 1996;12:1191-1196. 59. Guay DR. Trandolapril: a newer angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. Clin Ther. 2003;25:713-775. 60. BaudinB,DrouetL.InvitrointeractionsbetweenramiprilatandangiotensinI-converting enzyme in endothelial cells. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1989;14(suppl 4):S37-S42. 61. Sennesael J, Ali A, Sweny P, et al. The pharmacokinetics of perindopril and its effects on serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity in hypertensive patients with chronic renal failure. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1992;33:93-99. 62. Chevillard C, Journey S, Bree F, et al. Compared properties of trandolapril, enalapril, and their diametabolites. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1994;23(suppl 4):S11-S15. 63. Lonn E, Yusuf S, Dzavik V, et al. Effects of ramipril and vitamin E on therosclerosis: the Study to Evaluate Carotid Ultrasound changes in patients treated with Ramipril and vitamin E (SECURE). Circulation. 2001;103:919-925. WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COM ©2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.