In comparision with the less invasive catheter/balloon/stent percutaneous intervention, CABG might be a better choice for patients with diabetes and patients aged 65-75 years since it leads to lower mortality, according to the study. Many randomized studies were conducted comparing CABG which involves open surgery and a long recovery period and the less invasive PCI, but none of the studies could determine whether patient outcomes vary importantly according to characteristics such as age, sex, or extent of coronary disease. The investigators from 10 randomized trials formed a team to assess long-term outcomes in 7812 patients to compare the two methods overall and in patient subgroups. PCI was performed with balloon angioplasty in six trials and bare-metal stents in four trials. The researchers found over a median follow-up of nearly six years, overall mortality was similar whether patients received CABG or PCI - 15% of patients given CABG died versus 16% for PCI. However, patients with diabetes were 30% less likely to die if given CABG than if given PCI. Patients aged 65-75 years who had CABG were 18% less likely to die than those who had PCI, while patients younger than 55 years given CABG were 25% more likely to die than those given PCI. They concluded that long-term mortality is same after CABG and PCI in most patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, so treatment choice should depend on patient preferences for other outcomes. CABG might better suite patients with diabetes and patients aged 65 years or older.