Aggressive Cholesterol Therapy to Inhibit Vein Graft Events After CABG (ACTIVE Trial)
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2017-01-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
During coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), saphenous vein from the leg is used to
bypass the atherosclerotic blockages in the arteries of the heart. Unfortunately, vein
bypasses themselves develop blockages over time, a process termed saphenous vein graft
disease. By lowering cholesterol levels in the blood, statin medications are used after
surgery to prevent the development of atherosclerotic blockages in the vein bypasses.
Recently, higher doses of statin medications have been introduced, with some studies showing
that they are more effective than traditional doses when used in heart attack patients.
Furthermore, laboratory tests have shown that higher doses of statin medications can slow the
development of atherosclerosis. Despite these benefits, very little is known regarding the
use of high-dose statin therapy after bypass surgery in humans.
The goal of this study will be to see if high-dose statin therapy will prevent the
development of vein graft occlusion during the first year after bypass surgery. Patients will
be randomized to receive either high-dose statin therapy or conventional moderate-dose statin
therapy starting within 4 days of surgery and continuing for the duration of one year after
the operation. The statin medication will be given in capsule form. During the course of this
study, neither the patient nor the health care team will know which treatment each patient is
receiving. One year after bypass surgery, a computed tomography (CT) coronary angiogram will
be performed to evaluate the patency of the vein bypasses.