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Abstract: Objectives: Estimation of long-term outcome for patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction treated with primary angioplasty in an alsatian public center. Patients and methods: Two-hundred and ninety-eight patients who underwent an urgent coronarography in a non-university center, with a view to immediate angioplasty, between January 1999 and December 2001. Results: Two-hundred and sixty-four patients (88.6%) were actually treated with urgent angioplasty, which has been successful in 87.1% of cases. Hospital mortality was of 7.7%. The population was composed of 16.4% patients older than 75 and of 11.7% patients with Killip 3 or 4 at admission. Mean follow-up was 34 months, lost to follow-up rate was of 4.7%. The global survival rate was of 78.9% and eventless survival rate of 41.9%. Conclusion: Our results confirm the efficiency of angioplasty in real-life conditions as well at short-term as at long-term. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Despite important progress in cardiology, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the major cause of congestive heart failure and subsequent mortality. The rationale for cell therapy to be administered after AMI is derived from the assumption that given the insufficient regeneration in the injured heart tissue, stem cells from the bone marrow may be able to replace or repair damaged vascular and cardiac tissue. Results of the first phase I clinical trials using bone marrow stem/progenitor cell therapy for AMI were published in 2002 to 2004. Although not designed to test the efficacy of the intervention, the initial trials indicated a promising improvement in a number of clinical outcomes and cardiac function and suggested the intervention was safe. Recently, randomized controlled trials of cardiac cell therapy for AMI were published, with mixed results. A meta-analysis including 13 trials with a total of 811 participants showed an improved left ventricular ejection fraction by 2.99%. A large multicentre international trial is warranted to further document the efficacy of cardiac cell therapy on clinical outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]