Surgical Versus Percutaneous Revascularization in Patients With Reduced Left Ventricular Function (STICH 3.0-NL) (STICH 3*0-NL)

May 7, 2026 updated by: University Medical Center Groningen

Surgical Versus Percutaneous Revascularization in Patients With Reduced Left Ventricular Function

This randomized multicenter trial compares coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in 358 patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction and multivessel coronary disease. The study evaluates differences in survival, major cardiovascular events, and quality of life over 4 years, and contributes to the international STICH 3.0 collaboration assessing long-term outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Patients with ischemic left ventricular systolic dysfunction (iLVSD) and multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) have a poor prognosis. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has been shown to improve long-term survival in this population compared to medical therapy alone. However, CABG carries higher short-term risks, leading to underutilization in older and comorbid patients. In contrast, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is frequently performed due to perceived lower procedural risk, despite limited evidence supporting its benefit in patients with LV dysfunction. Previous studies comparing PCI with medical therapy excluded patients with clear indications for revascularization, such as those with significant angina or recent acute coronary syndrome, leaving uncertainty about the optimal treatment strategy.

The STICH 3.0-NL trial is a prospective, randomized, controlled, open-label, multicenter study designed to compare CABG and PCI in patients with iLVSD (LVEF <40%) and multivessel CAD who are candidates for coronary revascularization. A total of 358 patients will be enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to undergo CABG or PCI, aiming for full revascularization.

The primary endpoint is a hierarchical composite of all-cause mortality, recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: non-procedural myocardial infarction, stroke, or unplanned revascularization), and recurrent hospitalizations for heart failure at 4 years. Secondary endpoints include the individual components of the primary endpoint, cardiovascular mortality, periprocedural myocardial infarction, target vessel and lesion revascularization, changes in quality of life (Seattle Angina Questionnaire and KCCQ), and cost-effectiveness expressed as QALY and ICER.

The STICH 3.0-NL trial will contribute approximately 10% of the total cohort to the international STICH 3.0 collaboration, enabling long-term analyses of all-cause mortality at 5 and 10 years and providing critical evidence to guide revascularization strategies in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
358

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
      • Groningen, Netherlands
        • Recruiting
        • University Medical Center Groningen
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • LVEF≤ 40%
  • Angina pectoris, CCS≥2 and/or hospitalization for ACS or heart failure within 1 year prior to randomization
  • Multivessel CAD (2-3 vessel-disease with coronary lesions >70% and involvement of proximal LAD, and/or LM stenosis of >50%). Target vessels are determined by the local Heart Time
  • Clinical and angiographical characteristics suitable for isolated coronary revascularization both by CABG or PCI according to the judgment of the local Heart Team
  • Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • ACS < 48 hours before randomization
  • Valvular/structural heart disease requiring intervention
  • Contra-indications to DAPT
  • Non-cardiac condition with life expectancy < 1 year
  • Previous CABG
  • Decompensated HF at the time of inclusion

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: CABG (surgery)
Patients randomized to CABG will receive CABG - aiming for full revascularization
Procedure: CABG
CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting)
Other: PCI (percutaneous)
Patients randomized to PCI will receive PCI - aiming for full revascularization
Procedure: PCI
PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hierarchical composite of all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, and heart failure hospitalizations
Time Frame: 4 years
Outcomes will be analyzed using a hierarchical (win ratio / Finkelstein-Schoenfeld) approach to account for clinical severity
4 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Individual components of the primary endpoint
Time Frame: 4 years
Analysis of each component of the primary endpoint separately - all-cause mortality, non-procedural myocardial infarction, stroke, unplanned revascularization, and heart failure hospitalizations.
4 years
Cardiovascular mortality
Time Frame: 4 years
Death due to cardiovascular causes
4 years
Periprocedural myocardial infarction
Time Frame: Within 30 days post-procedure
Myocardial infarction occurring during or within 30 days after the index revascularization procedure.
Within 30 days post-procedure
Target vessel and target lesion revascularization
Time Frame: 4 years
Any repeat revascularization of the initially treated coronary vessel or lesion.
4 years
Change in quality of life - Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire
Time Frame: at 1 and 4 years (compared to baseline)
Change in patient-reported quality of life assessed using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). The KCCQ is scored 0-100 per domain, with higher scores indicating better health status. A positive change from baseline reflects improvement. A ≥5-point change is considered clinically meaningful.
at 1 and 4 years (compared to baseline)
Changes in quality of life - Seattle Angina Questionnaire
Time Frame: at 1 and 4 years (compared to baseline)
Change in patient-reported quality of life assessed using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ is scored in 5 domains from 0-100 per domain, with higher scores indicating fewer symptoms and better health status. A change of ≥5 points is generally considered clinically meaningful.
at 1 and 4 years (compared to baseline)
Cost-effectiveness
Time Frame: 4 years
Cost-effectiveness analysis comparing CABG and PCI, expressed as quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).
4 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University Medical Center Groningen

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Dutch Heart Foundation

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Erik Lipsic, Dr, University Medical Center Groningen

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2034

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2034

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 20, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 5, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 8, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 7, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NL-009839
  • 01-001-2024-0545 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Dutch Heart Foundation (Hartstichting))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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