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Q waves have been shown to be a stronger prognostic marker than time from symptom onset to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. We examined whether the relative importance of these 2 measurements is modulated by patient gender. Q waves in the area of ST-segment elevation on baseline electrocardiogram were evaluated at a central core laboratory in 4,530 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (3,468 men and 1,062 women) without previous infarction and who underwent PCI in the Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction (APEX-AMI) trial. Women were older and had higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, Killip class >I, and lower creatinine clearance compared to men. Time from symptom onset to PCI >3 hours was associated with a trend toward worse 90-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval 0.9 to 2.2) in men but not in women (0.8, 0.5 to 1.4). In contrast, presence of Q waves on baseline electrocardiogram was associated with significantly higher 90-day mortality in men (adjusted hazard ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.0 to 2.7) and women (2.3, 1.2 to 4.2). In conclusion, in this gender-specific analysis, baseline Q wave was found be a better marker of risk of 90-day mortality than time from symptom onset to PCI, overall, and especially in women., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The CAPTIM trial suggested a survival benefit of prehospital fibrinolysis (FL) compared to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with a presentation delay of <2 hours. We examined the relationship between reperfusion strategy and time from symptom onset on 1-year mortality in a combined analysis of 1,168 patients with STEMI., Methods: Individual patient data from CAPTIM (n = 840, 1997-2000) and the more recent WEST trial (n = 328, 2003-2005) were pooled., Results: Median age was 58 years, 81% were men, and 41% had anterior myocardial infarction; 640 patients were randomized to FL versus 528 patients to PCI. Both arms received contemporary adjunctive medical therapy. Presentation delay (ie, symptom onset to randomization) was similar in FL and PCI patients (median 105 [72-158] vs 106 [74-162] minutes, P = .712). Rescue PCI after FL occurred in 26% and 27%, and 30-day PCI, in 70% and 71% in CAPTIM and WEST, respectively. Mortality was not different between FL and PCI (4.6% vs 6.5%, P = .263); however, the interaction between presentation delay and treatment was significant (P = .043). Benefit with FL was observed with time <2 hours (2.8% [FL] vs 6.9% [PCI], P = .021, hazard ratio [HR] 0.43, 95% CI 0.20-0.91), whereas beyond 2 hours, no treatment difference was observed (6.9% [FL] vs 6.0% [PCI], P = .529, HR 1.23, 95% CI 0.61-2.46)., Conclusions: A strategy of early FL demonstrated a reduction in 1-year mortality compared to primary PCI in early presenters. Time from symptom onset should be a key consideration when selecting reperfusion therapy for STEMI., (Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The prognostic value of myocardial infarct size estimation by QRS scoring in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unclear. The standard 32-point Selvester QRS score on the discharge electrocardiogram (each point approximately 3% left ventricular mass) was calculated in 4,113 patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI and survived to hospital discharge in the APEX-AMI trial. QRS scores were divided into tertiles, i.e., < or =3 (<10% myocardium), 4 to 7 (10% to 21% myocardium), and > or =8 (>21% myocardium). Adjusted associations between QRS score and 90-day outcomes (death and composite of death/congestive heart failure (CHF)/shock) were examined. Higher QRS scores were associated with male gender, higher heart rate, worse Killip class, noninferior infarct location, greater ST-segment deviation, and longer times to reperfusion. Higher QRS scores were also associated with impaired culprit artery flow before and after PCI and more frequent multivessel disease. Adverse outcomes occurred more often in patients with higher QRS scores (90-day death: 1.9%, QRS score 0 to 3; 3.4%, 4 to 7; 4.9%, > or =8; 90-day death/shock/CHF: 4.5%, 0-3; 7.8%, 4 to 7; 12.1%, > or =8). After multivariable adjustment, patients with higher QRS scores remained more likely to develop an adverse outcome versus those with QRS scores < or =3 (score 4 to 7, hazard ratios [HR] for death 2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26 to 3.41; HR for death/CHF/shock 2.00, 95% CI 1.26 to 3.17; score > or =8, HR for death 2.57, 95% CI 1.56 to 4.24, HR for death/CHF/shock 2.93, 95% CI 1.84 to 4.67). In conclusion, infarct size as estimated by QRS scoring at hospital discharge is an independent and prognostically relevant metric in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI., (2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To examine the incidence of and propensity for non-culprit interventions performed at the time of the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and its association with 90-day outcomes., Methods and Results: We examined the incidence, propensity for, and associated 90-day outcomes following non-culprit interventions performed at the time of primary PCI among ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease (MVD). Of the 5373 patients who underwent primary PCI in the APEX-AMI trial, 2201 had MVD. Of those, 217 (9.9%) underwent non-infarct-related arteries (IRA) PCI, whereas 1984 (90.1%) underwent PCI of the IRA alone. Ninety-day death and death/CHF/shock were higher in the non-IRA group compared with the IRA-only PCI group (12.5 vs. 5.6%, P (log-rank) < 0.001 and 17.4 vs. 12.0%, P (log-rank) = 0.020, respectively). After adjusting for patient and procedural characteristics as well as propensity for performing non-IRA PCI, this procedure remained independently associated with an increased hazard of 90-day mortality [adjusted hazard ratio 2.44, 95% CI (1.55-3.83), P < 0.001]., Conclusion: Non-culprit coronary interventions were performed at the time of primary PCI in 10% of MVD patients and were significantly associated with increased mortality. Our data support current guideline recommendations discouraging the performance of such procedures in stable primary PCI patients. Prospective randomized study of this issue may be warranted.

Aims: Controversy exists regarding the early use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction (APEX-AMI) trial provides a unique opportunity to examine early vs. late or non-use of GPIs in a large STEMI cohort treated with PCI., Methods and Results: In the APEX-AMI trial, 3969 of 5707 patients received one of three GPIs at the operator's discretion (abciximab, eptifibatide, tirofiban). Of GPI-treated patients, the median time from symptom onset to GPI administration was 180 min (25th, 75th percentile: 130, 258); 1125 received the agent prior to arriving in the catheterization laboratory [pre-sheath; GPI to sheath insertion: 37 min (16, 66)], whereas 2844 patients were treated after arrival in the catheterization laboratory [in-lab; sheath insertion to GPI: 16 min (10, 27)]. The pre-sheath use of GPIs was associated with a significantly lower hazard of 90-day mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.48-0.95, P = 0.025] and of 90-day composite of death/CHF/shock (adjusted HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.65-1.00, P = 0.054). In-hospital severe and moderate bleeding was not related to the use of GPIs., Conclusion: This retrospective analysis from a large patient cohort with acute STEMI undergoing PCI suggests that pharmacological pre-treatment of PCI with GPIs, particularly abciximab, was associated with significantly lower occurrence of 90-day clinical outcomes and supports the pre-procedural administration of GPIs in this clinical setting.

Objectives: We sought to compare outcomes in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with or without previous coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG)., Background: Limited information exists regarding procedural success and clinical outcomes of STEMI patients with CABG undergoing primary PCI., Methods: The APEX-AMI (Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction) trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of pexelizumab in STEMI patients with planned primary PCI: 128 of 5,745 (2.2%) patients had prior CABG. Clinical/procedural characteristics, culprit vessel (infarct-related artery [IRA]), and 90-day clinical outcomes were compared., Results: Patients with previous CABG were more frequently men, older, had a higher incidence of comorbidities and multivessel disease. In patients with versus without prior CABG, PCI was performed less frequently, that is, 78.9% versus 93.9%; of those with prior CABG receiving PCI, Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade 3 was also restored less often, that is, 82.5% versus 91.6% (both p < 0.001). In prior CABG, there was a nearly even designation of the IRA as a bypass graft (n = 63) versus a native vessel (n = 55): IRA post-PCI TIMI flow grade 3 was achieved in 66.7% versus 88.0%, respectively (p = 0.043). Prior CABG patients had increased 90-day death and composite 90-day death/congestive heart failure/shock. Excess death remained significant after multivariable adjustment (hazard ratio: 1.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.08 to 3.33, p = 0.025). When prior CABG patients were stratified by the type of IRA, there was further discrimination of the increased 90-day death, that is, 19% bypass graft (n = 63) versus 5.7% native vessel (n = 55, p = 0.05), respectively., Conclusions: Prior CABG patients with STEMI are less likely to undergo acute reperfusion, have worse angiographic outcomes following primary PCI, and higher 90-day mortality. These findings are especially applicable when the IRA was a bypass graft., (Copyright (c) 2010 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to obtain a valid estimate of the clinical effects of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in relation to age., Background: Treatment with PPCI is most beneficial in high-risk myocardial infarction patients. Paradoxically, elderly patients, who are at increased risk of adverse outcome, are often withheld PPCI., Methods: Individual patient data were obtained from 22 randomized trials (n = 6,763) evaluating the clinical effects of PPCI versus fibrinolysis (FL). Differences in 30-day death, repeat myocardial infarction, and stroke between patients randomized to FL and PPCI were determined in 5 age-strata: < or =50, >50 to 60, >60 to 70, >70 to 80, and >80 years. Treatment effects are reported as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Multivariable logistic regression analyses, which included age x treatment interaction, were applied to examine evidence of heterogeneity in age-specific ORs., Results: Thirty-day death increased with increasing age and ranged from 1.1% (FL) and 1.8% (PPCI) in patients < or =50 years to 26.4% and 18.3% in patients >80 years of age. The point estimate of treatment effect (overall adjusted OR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.79) was compatible with a mortality reduction favoring PPCI in all age-strata (except in patients < or =50 years of age), and 95% CIs were largely overlapping. There was no evidence of heterogeneity in ORs between age categories. Similar results were observed for repeat myocardial infarction and stroke., Conclusions: In this analysis of randomized trials, the reduction in clinical end points by PPCI was not influenced by age. Hence, age per se should not be considered an exclusion criterion for the application of PPCI., (Copyright (c) 2010 American College of Cardiology Foundation.Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Reperfusion with primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction leads to improved clinical outcomes. The contribution angiographic vs electrocardiographic reperfusion parameters confer on prognosis is unclear., Methods: A prespecified subset of the APEX-AMI trial patients was analyzed by independent angiographic and electrocardiographic core laboratories (n = 1,018). Angiographic reperfusion after PCI and electrocardiogram 30 minutes post-PCI were assessed., Results: Of the 941 patients in the angiographic substudy, 796 (85%) attained post-PCI Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow 3 and 852 (91%) had TIMI Myocardial Perfusion Grade (TMPG) 2/3. There were 664 (71%) patients with residual ST elevation (ST-E) <2 mm. Ninety-day mortality and death/CHF/shock were lower in patients with TIMI flow 3 vs <3 (1.9% vs 6.2%, P = .002; 5.8% vs 10.4%, P = .044) and those with TMPG 2/3 vs 0/1 (2.0% vs 7.9%, P = .001; 6.0% vs 11.9%, P = .028). Patients with residual ST-E <2 mm had similar rates of mortality as those with > or =2 mm (2.3% vs 3.3%, P = .374) but lower rates of death/CHF/shock (5.2% vs 9.6%, P = .013). After multivariable adjustment, only post-PCI TMPG 2/3 was significantly associated with survival (P = .001), whereas residual ST-E (P = .606) and post-PCI TIMI flow grade (P = .086) were not. Conversely, residual ST-E > or =2 mm (P = .012) rather than angiographic reperfusion was associated with the composite of death/CHF/shock events., Conclusion: Angiographic and electrocardiographic estimates of reperfusion with primary PCI in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction provide different and complementary predictions of morbidity and mortality.

Background: Recent research and contemporary ST elevation myocardial infarction guidelines emphasize the importance of prompt reperfusion and have redefined the traditional time to treatment metric to include prehospital paramedical staff as the point of first medical contact. However, an important knowledge gap exists relating to data systematically addressing the impact of arrival at the hospital by ambulance and the delays inherent in transfer from a community hospital to tertiary centres for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods: The Which Early ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Therapy (WEST) study initiated treatment at the point of first medical contact, including prehospital contact. Patients were randomly assigned to receive fibrinolysis with usual care or coupled with mechanical cointervention, or primary PCI. To assess the impact of this strategy on time to treatment, the following randomly assigned patient groups were compared: prehospital versus in-hospital; those arriving at the hospital by ambulance versus ambulatory self transport; and those whose initial hospital care was a community versus PCI centre., Results: Of the 328 patients enrolled in the study, 221 received fibrinolysis and 107 received primary PCI. Compared with the in-hospital group, patients who underwent prehospital random assignment (44%, n=145) experienced a 48 min reduction in median (interquartile range) time from symptom onset to first study medication (87 min [65 min to 147 min] versus 135 min [95 min to 186 min]; P<0.001) and a 56 min reduction in time to first balloon inflation (148 min [117 min to 214 min] versus 204 min [166 min to 290 min]; P<0.001). Arrival by ambulance without prehospital random assignment (n=90) incurred a substantial delay from first medical contact to reperfusion (fibrinolysis 76 min [63 min to 105 min] and PCI 160 min [141 min to 212 min]) compared with prehospital random assignment (n=145; fibrinolysis 43 min [33 min to 54 min] and PCI 105 min [90 min to 127 min]) or ambulatory patients (n=93; fibrinolysis 47 min [32 min to 68 min] and PCI 108 min [85 min to 150 min]). Community (n=165) versus PCI hospital (n=163) random assignment was associated with a longer delay from first medical contact to reperfusion: fibrinolysis, 56 min versus 47 min (P=0.008) and primary PCI, 139 min versus 105 min (P=0.001)., Discussion: Prehospital diagnosis, random assignment and treatment substantially reduced treatment delay with both pharmacological and mechanical reperfusion. Those activating the prehospital medical response system without receiving prehospital random assignment experienced the longest delay from first medical contact to reperfusion, indicating a lost opportunity to enhance ST elevation myocardial infarction patient outcomes.

Objectives: We assessed the incremental value of baseline Q waves over time from symptom onset as a marker of clinical outcome in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)., Background: Time from symptom onset is a central focus in STEMI patients. The presence of Q waves on the baseline electrocardiogram (ECG) has been suggested to be of incremental value to time from symptom onset in evaluating clinical outcomes., Methods: We evaluated baseline Q waves and ST-segment resolution 30 min after primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) ECGs in 4,530 STEMI patients without prior infarction. Additionally, peak biomarkers; 90-day mortality; and the composite of death, congestive heart failure (CHF), or cardiogenic shock were assessed., Results: Fifty-six percent of patients had baseline Q waves: they were older, more frequently male and diabetic, and had a more advanced Killip class. Patients with baseline Q waves had greater mortality and a higher composite rate of death, CHF, and shock versus patients without baseline Q waves at 90 days (5.3% vs. 2.1% and 12.1% vs. 4.8%, respectively, both p < 0.001). Complete ST-segment resolution was highest, whereas 90-day mortality and the composite outcome were lowest among those randomized < or =3 h without baseline Q waves. After multivariable adjustment, baseline Q-wave but not time from symptom onset was significantly associated with a 78% relative increase in the hazard of 90-day mortality and a 90% relative increase in the hazard of death, shock, and CHF., Conclusions: Baseline Q waves in STEMI patients treated with primary PCI provide an independent prognostic marker of clinical outcome. These data might be useful in designing future clinical trials as well as in evaluating patients for triage and potential transfer for planned primary PCI. (Pexelizumab in Conjunction With Angioplasty in Acute Myocardial Infarction [APEX-AMI]; NCT00091637).

Background: Primary percutaneous coronary angioplasty is an effective and widely adopted treatment for acute myocardial infarction. A simple method of determining prognosis after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) would facilitate appropriate care and expedite hospital discharge. Thus, we determined the prognostic importance of various measures of ST-segment-elevation recovery after primary PCI in a large, contemporary cohort of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction., Methods and Results: We analyzed ECG data describing the magnitude and extent of ST-segment elevation and deviation before and early after (ie, 30 minutes) primary PCI in the study cohort of 4866 subjects with electrocardiographically high-risk ST-elevation myocardial infarction enrolled in the Assessment of PEXelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction (APEX-AMI) trial. Associations among 6 methods for calculating ST-segment recovery, biomarker estimates of infarct size (ie, peak creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB, and troponin I and T), and prespecified clinical outcomes (ie, rates of 90-day death and 90-day death, heart failure, or shock) were examined. All ST-segment-recovery methods provided strong prognostic information regarding clinical outcomes. A simple ST-segment-recovery method of residual ST-segment elevation measurement in the most affected lead on the post-PCI ECG performed as well as complex methods that required comparison of pre- and post-PCI ECGs or calculation of summed ST-segment deviation in multiple leads (ie, worst-lead residual ST elevation: adjusted hazard ratio for 90-day death rate [reference <1 mm]: 1 to <2 mm, 1.23 [95% CI 0.74 to 2.03]; > or =2 mm, 2.22 [95% CI 1.35 to 3.65], corrected c-index=0.832; 90-day death/congestive heart failure/shock [reference <1 mm]: 1 to <2 mm, 1.55 [95% CI 1.06 to 2.26]; > or =2 mm, 2.33 [95% CI 1.59 to 3.41], corrected c-index=0.802). Biomarker estimates of infarct size declined in association with enhanced ST-segment recovery., Conclusions: An ECG performed early after primary PCI is a simple, widely available, inexpensive, and powerful prognostic tool applicable to patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Aims: We studied the clinical, demographic, and angiographic factors associated with successful reperfusion and the relationship between angiographic indices and clinical outcomes in a subset of the APEX-AMI trial, which tested the efficacy of pexelizumab in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods and Results: Among 5745 patients enrolled in the trial, 1018 underwent independent quantitative angiographic evaluation by a core laboratory. Successful epicardial reperfusion was defined as TIMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction) flow grade 3 or corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC) <28 frames, and successful myocardial reperfusion as TIMI myocardial perfusion grade (TMPG) 2 or 3. TIMI 3 flow after PCI occurred in 85%, cTFC < 28 in 58% (mean cTFC was 27 +/- 20), and TMPG 2 or 3 in 91%. Overall 90 day clinical outcomes were 2.7% for mortality and 8.2% for the composite of death, congestive heart failure (CHF), or shock. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, TMPG 2/3 after PCI was associated with younger age [odds ratio (OR) for 10 year increase 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59-0.96, P = 0.023], pre-PCI TIMI flow 2/3 (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.7-7.1, P = 0.001), and ischaemic time [for every hour, OR 0.81 (0.69-0.96), P = 0.015]. TMPG 2/3 after PCI was significantly associated with 90 day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 0.26, 95% CI 0.09-0.78, P = 0.013). Neither post-PCI TMPG nor TIMI flow grade was significantly associated with 90 day death/CHF/shock., Conclusion: Younger age, patent infarct-related artery at presentation, and ischaemic time predicted higher likelihood of successful myocardial perfusion, which was associated with improved survival.

Background: Rescue percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is efficacious after clinical failure of fibrinolytic therapy and is recommended for those with persistent ischemia, hemodynamic, or electrical instability. We sought to describe the frequency of fibrinolytic failure (rescue eligibility) as well as the patient characteristics associated with rescue eligibility, rescue referral, and PCI., Methods and Results: Eligibility, indication, and referral for guideline-based rescue PCI were adjudicated in 221 patients enrolled in the WEST trial. WEST treated patients at earliest medical contact and used a tenectaplase/enoxaparin regimen. Ninety patients (41%) were adjudicated with acute myocardial infarction as rescue eligible of whom 68 were referred for rescue PCI. Baseline characteristics did not predict rescue eligibility or referral. Emergency angiography before PCI performed a median of 82 minutes (interquartile range 50-99) after rescue referral showed TIMI flow grade 2 or 3 in 34 (50%). Percutaneous coronary intervention was adjudicated as successful in 58 of 60 attempts. Procedures began approximately 45 minutes sooner in patients initially admitted to PCI-capable hospitals. Compared to those with clinically successful fibrinolytic therapy, rescue eligible patients demonstrated higher median peak creatine phosphokinase (1889 [1243-3746] vs 999 [440-2048], P < .01) and 30-day median NT-proBNP levels (748 [391-1916] vs 431 [153-1016], P < .01)., Conclusions: Rescue eligibility determined by guideline criteria is common after contemporary fibrinolysis and is not predicted by conventional baseline characteristics. Half of rescue-referred patients are patent at angiography: although contemporary PCI success rates are high, rescue eligibility is associated with larger infarctions.

Objective: To evaluate the anticoagulation effect of subcutaneous (SQ) and intravenous (IV) enoxaparin through systematic anti-Xa sampling during primary PCI for acute STEMI., Background: Although appropriate anticoagulation is essential to maximize the efficacy and safety of primary PCI, the optimal dosing of enoxaparin in this setting is unclear., Methods: STEMI patients randomized to primary PCI received ASA, clopidogrel 300 mg and enoxaparin 1 mg/kg SQ at earliest point of care, including prehospital. Plasma anti-Xa determination occurred just prior to and after primary PCI. Supplemental IV enoxaparin (0.3-0.5 mg/kg) and abciximab was encouraged prior to PCI., Results: The 1st anti-Xa level 56 min (median, IQR 47-77) post SQ enoxaparin was 0.28 U/ml (0.23-0.41); 85% of patients (28/33) were <0.5 U/ml (the recommended therapeutic level). Following PCI, 126 min (118-185) after SQ enoxaparin in those without IV dosing (8/33) the 2nd anti-Xa level was 0.44 U/ml (0.29-0.53); 6 of 8 patients remained <0.5 U/ml. With IV enoxaparin (25/33) the 2nd anti-Xa was 0.96 U/ml (0.82-1.16) 97 min (82-109) after SQ enoxaparin: all were >or=0.5 U/ml and 2 had levels 1.5 U/ml., Conclusion: A single SQ enoxaparin dose fails to achieve anti-Xa levels >or=0.5 U/ml in the majority of STEMI patients. When combined with a strategy of supplemental IV enoxaparin, adequate anti-Xa levels were achieved in all patients with few having levels >1.5 U/ml. This regime of SQ injection with additional IV enoxaparin provides an attractive strategy enhancing effective early anti-thrombotic therapy at first medical contact prior to primary PCI., ((c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Background: There is growing evidence for a clinical benefit of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with fibrinolysis; however, whether the treatment effect is consistent among patients with diabetes mellitus is unclear. We compared PCI with fibrinolysis for treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in patients with diabetes mellitus., Methods: A pooled analysis of individual patient data from 19 trials comparing primary PCI with fibrinolysis for treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction was performed. Trials that enrolled at least 50 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and randomized patients to receive either primary PCI or fibrinolysis were considered for inclusion in our study. Clinical end points were total deaths, recurrent infarction, death or nonfatal recurrent infarction, and stroke, measured 30 days after randomization., Results: Of 6315 patients, 877 (14%) had diabetes. Thirty-day mortality (9.4% vs 5.9%; P < .001) was higher in patients with diabetes. Mortality was lower after primary PCI compared with fibrinolysis in both patients with diabetes (unadjusted odds ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.79; P = .004) and without diabetes (unadjusted odds ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-0.86, P = .001), with no evidence of heterogeneity of treatment effect (P = .24 for interaction). Recurrent infarction and stroke were also reduced after primary PCI in both patient groups. After multivariable analysis, primary PCI was associated with decreased 30-day mortality in patients with and without diabetes, with a point estimate of greater benefit in diabetic patients., Conclusions: Diabetic patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated with reperfusion therapy have increased mortality compared with patients without diabetes. The beneficial effects of primary PCI compared with fibrinolysis in diabetic patients are consistent with effects in nondiabetic patients.

Background: Several clinical trials have established abciximab as an efficacious agent for use in conjunction with percutaneous coronary intervention; however, there is little documented about its use in routine clinical practice in Canada., Objectives: To determine the use of abciximab, and secondarily, its associations with one-year death and repeat revascularization rates in 2751 Alberta residents who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention in 1999., Methods: Descriptive statistics were used to determine use patterns. Logistic regression models were used to define risk of long-term outcomes and to determine associations between abciximab use and risk-adjusted death and repeat revascularization rates., Results: Abciximab was administered to 43.5% of the study population and interinstitutional differences were revealed (site A, 46.7%; site B, 26.6%; site C, 54.6%, P<0.001). Use patterns according to the adjusted risk of death or repeat revascularization also differed across these sites. There were no differences between patients treated with versus those treated without abciximab in risk-adjusted one-year mortality (3.7%, 95% CI 2.8% to 3.7% versus 3.1%, 95% CI 2.3% to 4.0%) or revascularization rates (16.7%, 95% CI 14.8% to 19.1% versus 15.8%, 95% CI 14.0% to 17.7%). However, differences in baseline clinical characteristics between these two groups may limit the inferences that can be made from these outcome comparisons., Conclusions: Use patterns varied across the tertiary care hospitals in Alberta and the use of abciximab was not associated with reduced rates of long term death or repeat revascularization. The absence of provincial or national guidelines may have influenced the uptake and application of this novel therapy.