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Objectives: Age is an important factor weighing on revascularization outcomes decisions. We analysed long-term health outcomes of young patients with low complexity coronary anatomy suitable for both CABG and PCI, according to revascularization strategy., Methods: Patients 60 year-old or less, undergoing invasive coronary angiography between Jan/2007 and Dec/2015, presenting with proximal LAD involvement, left main or multivessel disease and a SYNTAX Score (SS) ≤22 were retrospectively selected. An inverse probability of treatment weight methodology generated a pseudopopulation with well-balanced characteristics, which was used to estimate the average treatment effect between PCI (n = 374) and CABG (n = 173)., Results: Mean age was 53 ± 7 yo, 27% had DM and 48% presented with an ACS. Mean SYNTAX Score was 13.6 ± 4.9 and 68% underwent PCI as index revascularization strategy. In the weighed population, the adjusted hazard of the primary end-point of all-cause death at total follow-up (median 9.3 years [IQR: 6.9; 11.7]) was 0.40 (95% CI 0.19-0.7) for CABG vs PCI (incidence-rate 5.8 vs 14.0 deaths/1000-person-years). Accounting for death as competing-risk, the cumulative hazard of new revascularization (sub-distribution HR 0.72; 95% CI 0.32-1.25) and any cause hospital readmission (sub-distribution HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.41-1.07) were lower in CABG patients, as opposed to death/stroke rates at 30-days which were higher with CABG (0.3% vs 1.7%; risk ratio = 5.84)., Conclusions: In this quasi-experimental analysis of young patients with CAD and an equivalent indication for both PCI or CABG, improved long-term health outcomes were favourably associated with CABG, as compared to PCI. These observations support the need for dedicated randomized trials with longer follow-up in order to better inform lifetime treatment options., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: Randomized controlled trials comparing stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) suggest similar diagnostic accuracy for detecting obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). There are few data on whether this remains true in routine clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess clinical and angiographic characteristics of patients undergoing invasive coronary angiography (ICA) after stress CMR or SPECT, and to compare their positive predictive value with published results from the CE-MARC trial., Methods: In this retrospective tertiary-center analysis, we included 429 patients undergoing ICA after a positive stress CMR or positive SPECT performed within the previous 12 months. Obstructive CAD was defined as any coronary artery stenosis ≥50% in a vessel compatible with the ischemic territory on stress testing., Results: Of the total 429 patients, 356 (83%) were referred after a positive SPECT, and 73 (17%) after a positive stress CMR. Patients did not differ according to age, cardiovascular risk factors, previous revascularization or left ventricular dysfunction, but patients with SPECT were more frequently male (p=0.046). The prevalence of obstructive CAD was similar in patients with positive SPECT vs. positive stress CMR (76.1% vs. 80.8%, respectively, p=0.385). The positive predictive values of both techniques were similar to those reported in the CE-MARC trial., Conclusion: In this tertiary center analysis, stress CMR and SPECT showed similar positive predictive values, comparable to those reported in the CE-MARC trial. This finding supports the emerging adoption of CMR in clinical practice for the diagnosis and management of CAD., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Significant coronary artery disease (CAD) is a frequent finding in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), and the management of these two conditions becomes of particular importance with the extension of the procedure to younger and lower-risk patients. Yet, the preprocedural diagnostic evaluation and the indications for treatment of significant CAD in TAVI candidates remain a matter of debate. In this clinical consensus statement, a group of experts from the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) in collaboration with the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Cardiovascular Surgery aims to review the available evidence on the topic and proposes a rationale for the diagnostic evaluation and indications for percutaneous revascularisation of CAD in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter treatment. Moreover, it also focuses on commissural alignment of transcatheter heart valves and coronary re-access after TAVI and redo-TAVI.

Introduction and Objectives: Obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the most common etiology of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, there is controversy whether invasive coronary angiography (ICA) should be used initially to exclude CAD in patients presenting with new-onset HFrEF of unknown etiology. Our study aimed to develop a clinical score to quantify the risk of obstructive CAD in these patients., Methods: We performed a cross-sectional observational study of 452 consecutive patients presenting with new-onset HFrEF of unknown etiology undergoing elective ICA in one academic center, between January 2005 and December 2019. Independent predictors for obstructive CAD were identified. A risk score was developed using multivariate logistic regression of designated variables. The accuracy and discriminative power of the predictive model were assessed., Results: A total of 109 patients (24.1%) presented obstructive CAD. Six independent predictors were identified and included in the score: male gender (2 points), diabetes (1 point), dyslipidemia (1 point), smoking (1 point), peripheral arterial disease (1 point), and regional wall motion abnormalities (3 points). Patients with a score ≤3 had less than 15% predicted probability of obstructive CAD. Our score showed good discriminative power (C-statistic 0.872; 95% CI 0.834-0.909: p<0.001) and calibration (p=0.333 from the goodness-of-fit test)., Conclusions: A simple clinical score showed the ability to predict the risk of obstructive CAD in patients presenting with new-onset HFrEF of unknown etiology and may guide the clinician in selecting the most appropriate diagnostic modality for the assessment of obstructive CAD., (Copyright © 2022 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed an unprecedented burden on healthcare systems worldwide, changing the profile of interventional cardiology activity., Objectives: To quantify and compare the number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) performed for acute and chronic coronary syndromes during the first COVID-19 outbreak with the corresponding period in previous years., Methods: Data on PCI from the prospective multicenter Portuguese Registry on Interventional Cardiology (RNCI) were used to analyze changes in PCI for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) and chronic coronary syndromes (CCS). The number of PCIs performed during the initial period of the COVID-19 outbreak in Portugal, from March 1 to May 2, 2020, was compared with the mean frequency of PCIs performed during the corresponding period in the previous three years (2017-2019)., Results: The total number of PCIs procedures was significantly decreased during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Portugal (-36%, p<0.001). The reduction in PCI procedures for STEMI, NSTE-ACS and CCS was, respectively, -25% (p<0.019), -20% (p<0.068) and -59% (p<0.001)., Conclusions: Compared with the corresponding period in the previous three years, the number of PCI procedures performed for STEMI and CCS decreased markedly during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal., (Copyright © 2022 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: During the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a general belief that hospital admissions for non-infectious causes, especially cardiovascular diseases, have fallen., Objectives: To assess the impact of the pandemic on admissions for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during the first pandemic wave., Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis of consecutive patients presenting with STEMI in two Portuguese hospital centers in two sequential periods - P1 (March 1 to April 30) and P2 (May 1 to June 30). Patient's clinical data and hospital outcomes were compared between the years 2017 to 2019 and 2020 for both periods., Results: During P1 in 2020, a reduction in the number of STEMI patients was observed in comparison with previous years (26.0±4.2 vs. 16.5±4.9 cases per month; p=0.033), as well as an increase in the number of mechanical complications (0.0% vs. 3.0%; p=0.029). Percutaneous coronary interventions in the setting of failed thrombolysis were more frequent (1.9% vs. 9.1%; p=0.033). An overall trend for longer delays in key timings of STEMI care bundles was noted. Mortality was higher during P1 compared to previous years (1.9% vs. 12.1%; p=0.005)., Conclusions: During the first Covid-19 wave fewer patients presented with STEMI at the catheterization laboratory for percutaneous coronary intervention. These patients presented more mechanical complications and higher mortality., (© 2022 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

Objectives: We aimed to describe hemodynamic performance and clinical outcomes at 30-day follow-up of the balloon-expandable (BE) Myval transcatheter heart valve (THV) in low-risk patients., Background: The results of the next-generation BE Myval THV in low-risk aortic stenosis (AS) patients are still unknown., Methods: Retrospective registry performed in nine European centers including patients with low predicted operative mortality risk according to Society of thoracic surgeons (STS) and European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (EuroSCORE-II) scores., Results: Between September 2019 and February 2021, a total of 100 patients (51% males, mean age 80 ± 6.5 years) were included. Mean STS score and EuroSCORE-II were 2.4 ± 0.8% and 2.2 ± 0.7%, respectively. Intermediate sizes were used in 39% (21.5 mm: 8%, 24.5 mm: 15%, 27.5 mm: 15%). There were no cases of valve embolization, coronary artery occlusion, annulus rupture, or procedural death. A definitive pacemaker implantation was needed in eight patients (8%). At 30-day follow-up aortic valve area (0.7 ± 0.2 vs. 2.1 ± 0.6 cm 2 ) and mean aortic valve gradient (43.4 ± 11.1 vs. 9.0 ± 3.7 mmHg) improved significantly (p < 0.001). Moderate aortic regurgitation occurred in 4%. Endpoints of early safety and clinical efficacy were 3 and 1%, respectively., Conclusions: Hemodynamic performance and 30-day clinical outcomes of the BE Myval THV in low-risk AS patients were favorable. Longer-term follow-up is warranted., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Recent studies suggest the use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) as an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in lower risk populations, but real-world data are scarce., Methods: Single-center retrospective study of patients undergoing SAVR (between June 2009 and July 2016, n = 682 patients) or TAVI (between June 2009 and July 2017, n = 400 patients). Low surgical risk was defined as EuroSCORE II (ES II) < 4% for single noncoronary artery bypass graft procedure. TAVI patients were propensity score-matched in a 1:1 ratio with SAVR patients, paired by age, New York Heart Association class, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, atrial fibrillation, creatinine clearance, and left ventricular ejection fraction < 50%., Results: A total of 158 patients (79 SAVR and 79 TAVI) were matched (mean age 79 ± 6 years, 79 men). TAVI patients had a higher incidence of permanent pacemaker implantation (0% vs. 19%, p < 0.001) and more than mild paravalvular leak (4% vs. 18%, p = 0.009), but comparable rates of stroke, major or life-threatening bleeding, emergent cardiac surgery, new-onset atrial fibrillation, and need for renal replacement therapy. Hospital length-of-stay and 30-day mortality were similar. At a median follow-up of 4.5 years (IQR 3.0-6.9), treatment strategy did not influence all-cause mortality (HR 1.19, 95% CI 0.77-1.83, log rank p = 0.43) nor rehospitalization (crude subdistribution HR 1.56, 95% CI 0.71-3.41, p = 0.26). ES II remained the only independent predictor of long-term all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.04-1.90, p = 0.029)., Conclusion: In this low surgical risk severe aortic stenosis population, we observed similar rates of 30-day and long-term all-cause mortality, despite higher rates of permanent pacemaker implantation and more than mild paravalvular leak in TAVI patients. The results of this small study suggest that both procedures are safe and effective in the short-term, while the Heart Team remains essential to assess both options on the long-term., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Aim: To evaluate the real need for coronary access after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)., Methods and Results: Prospective observational single-center registry, including 563 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI between April 2008 and November 2018, with both self- and balloon-expandable valves in a tertiary European center. Mean age was 82.4 ± 6.9 years, 53.3% were female, 16% had previous history of coronary artery bypass grafting, 33% of previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and 16.6% of myocardial infarction (MI). Twenty-four percent of the patients were revascularized within one year before TAVI in preparation for the procedure. Median Society of Thoracic Surgeons score was 4.82 (IQ 2.84). In a median follow-up of 24 months (IQ 21.5), 18 patients (3.2%) were identified as potentially in need for invasive coronary angiography: 9 (1.6%) in the setting of stable coronary artery disease and 9 (1.6%) for an acute coronary syndrome. A total of 11 PCIs were performed in 9 patients, with a complete success rate of 63.6%. Procedures that were unsuccessful or partially unsuccessful were due to the inability to cross the stent or the drug-eluting balloon through the valve struts or misplacement within the coronary artery due to lack of catheter support., Conclusion: In this population, a strategy of previous guideline-directed revascularization before TAVI was associated with a low rate of MI and repeated need of coronary access, with a scattered distribution over time. Assuring future access to coronary arteries in patients at increased risk may depend on the revascularization strategy rather than device selection., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors do not have any conflict of interest to declare regarding this manuscript., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Aim: To assess the temporal trends in the usage pattern of non-invasive testing before invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and its diagnostic yield in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD)., Methods: Cross-sectional observational multicenter study of 4805 consecutive patients (60% male, mean age 66 ± 10 years) with suspected CAD undergoing elective ICA due to angina pectoris in two centers, from 2008 to 2017. The use of noninvasive testing and the proportion of patients with obstructive CAD (defined as the presence of at least one ≥50% stenosis on ICA) were assessed., Results: There were 4038 (84%) patients referred for ICA with positive noninvasive test, mainly SPECT (38%, n = 1828) and exercise ECG (36%, n = 1731). Obstructive CAD was found in 54.5% (n = 2621) of the patients and 37.9% (n = 1822) underwent revascularization. The prevalence of obstructive CAD was higher in patients with vs. without previous noninvasive testing (55.8% vs. 48.1%, respectively, P < 0.001) and tended to decrease during the study period (P for trend <0.001). Both the presence of obstructive CAD and revascularization rate were higher in patients who underwent anatomical evaluation with CCTA compared with noninvasive functional tests (P = 0.001 and P = 0.018, respectively). The number of patients referred after exercise testing and SPECT decreased (p for trend 0.005 and 0.006, respectively) and after CCTA and stress CMR increased (both P for trend <0.001). The proportion of patients referred without previous testing remained stable., Conclusion: Nearly half of the patients undergoing ICA for suspected CAD did not have obstructive coronary lesions. This proportion tended to increase over the 10-year span of this study. Better clinical assessment tools and diagnostic pathways for stable CAD are warranted., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Compared to bare-metal stents (BMS), drug-eluting stents reduce stent restenosis and improve subsequent revascularization rates. The impact on patients' survival has been the subject of debate., Objective: To assess the long-term (10-year) survival of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with first-generation sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in comparison with BMS., Methods: In a single-center registry, 600 consecutive patients who underwent successful PCI with SES between April 2002 and February 2003 were compared to 594 patients who underwent PCI with BMS between January 2002 and April 2002, just before the introduction of SES. Clinical and procedural data were collected at the time of intervention and 10-year survival status was assessed via the national life status database., Results: All baseline characteristics were similar between groups except for smaller stent diameter (2.84±0.38 vs. 3.19±0.49 mm; p<0.001), greater stent length (18.50±8.2 vs. 15.96±6.10 mm; p<0.001) and higher number of stents per patient (1.95 vs. 1.46, p<0.001) in the SES group. Overall five- and 10-year all-cause mortality was 9.6% (n=110) and 22.7% (n=272), respectively. The adjusted HR for 10-year mortality in patients undergoing PCI with SES was 0.74 (95% CI 0.58-0.94; p=0.013), corresponding to a relative risk reduction of 19.8%. Other than PCI with BMS, older age, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lower ejection fraction were independent predictors of 10-year mortality., Conclusion: To date, this is the longest follow-up study ever showing a potential survival benefit of first-generation sirolimus-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents, supporting prior observations on their sustained efficacy and safety relative to contemporary BMS., (Copyright © 2020. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

Objectives: Aim of this study is to evaluate safety, feasibility, and mid-term outcome of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in cardiogenic shock (CS)., Background: Balloon aortic valvuloplasty in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (SAS) complicated by CS is indicated but associated with a grim prognosis. TAVI might be a more reasonable treatment option in this setting but data are scant., Methods: From March 2008 to February 2019, 51 patients with severe aortic valvulopathy (native SAS or degenerated aortic bioprosthesis) and CS treated by TAVI in 11 European centers were included in this multicenter registry. Demographic, clinical, and procedural data were collected, as well as clinical and echocardiographic follow-up., Results: The mean age of our study population was 75.8 ± 13, 49% were women, and mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score was 19 ± 15%. Device success was achieved in 94.1%, with a 5% incidence of moderate/severe paravalvular leak. The 30-day events were mortality 11.8%, stroke 2.0%, vascular complications 5.9%, and acute kidney injury 34%. Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 early safety endpoint was reached in 35.3% of cases. At 1-year of follow-up, the mortality rate was 25.7% and the readmission for congestive heart failure was 8.6%., Conclusions: TAVI seems to be a therapeutic option for patients with CS and SAS or degenerated aortic bioprosthesis in terms of both safety and efficacy at early and long-term follow-up., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Coronary intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is increasingly important in catheterization laboratories due to its positive prognostic impact. This study aims to characterize the use of IVUS in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Portugal., Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed based on the Portuguese Registry on Interventional Cardiology of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology. The clinical and angiographic profiles of patients who underwent PCI between 2002 and 2016, the percentage of IVUS use, and the coronary arteries assessed were characterized., Results: A total of 118 706 PCIs were included, in which IVUS was used in 2266 (1.9%). Over time, use of IVUS changed from none in 2002 to generally increasing use from 2003 (0.1%) to 2016 (2.4%). The age of patients in whom coronary IVUS was used was similar to that of patients in whom IVUS was not used, but in the former group there were fewer male patients, and a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes), previous myocardial infarction, previous PCI, multivessel coronary disease, C-type or bifurcated coronary lesions, and in-stent restenosis. IVUS was used in 54.8% of elective PCIs and in 19.15% of PCIs of the left main coronary artery., Conclusion: Coronary IVUS has been increasingly used in Portugal since 2003. It is used preferentially in elective PCIs, and in patients with higher cardiovascular risk, with more complex coronary lesions and lesions of the left main coronary artery., (Copyright © 2019 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Natriuretic peptides are ubiquitously used for diagnosis, follow-up and prognostic assessment in various heart conditions. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) correlates with aortic stenosis severity, however its significance after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is not well established., Aim: We aimed to assess the prognostic value of NT-proBNP at one year in patients undergoing TAVI., Methods: This single-center retrospective analysis included 151 patients in whom both baseline and one-month post-procedure NT-proBNP were measured, from 206 consecutive patients undergoing TAVI between November 2008 and December 2014. The best cut-off values of both baseline and one-month post-TAVI NT-proBNP for one-year mortality were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Independent predictors of one-year mortality were assessed by Cox regression., Results: The areas under the curve of baseline and post-procedural NT-proBNP for one-year mortality were 0.60 and 0.72, with the best cut-off values of 1350 and 2500 pg/ml, respectively. Atrial fibrillation, procedure-related major bleeding, baseline NT-proBNP higher than 1350 pg/ml, post-procedural NT-proBNP higher than 2500 pg/ml, higher creatinine and Society of Thoracic Surgeons score, and lower left ventricular ejection fraction were associated with one-year mortality. Only post-procedural NT-proBNP was independently and negatively associated with one-year survival (HR 5.9, 95% CI 1.6-21.7, p=0.008)., Conclusions: Baseline NT-proBNP did not predict one-year mortality; on the other hand one-month post-procedural NT-proBNP higher than 2500 pg/ml may identify a high-risk subset of patients, allowing better management, care and hypothetically outcome., (Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Mitral regurgitation is a common valvular heart disease and its prevalence is expected to increase with population ageing. In the recent years we have witnessed the evolution of several transcatheter devices to correct mitral regurgitation in patients at high-risk for surgery. Most of the evidence of the safety and efficacy of this new therapy comes from MitraClip studies. However, new alternatives have emerged with promising results. The aim of this position paper is to review the current evidence regarding patient selection, expected results and timing for transcatheter mitral valve interventions from the perspective of three European interventional societies., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Myocardial infarction is frequently the initial form of presentation of coronary artery disease (CAD). Systemic Coronary Risk Estimation (SCORE) risk tables are used in primary prevention and provide an estimate of cardiovascular (CV) risk through known risk factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the SCORE, calculated using data previous to the event, to estimate CV risk of a population of patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) as the first manifestation of CAD., Methods and Results: From a prospective registry including 3056 patients with STEMI subjected to coronary angiography between 2004 and 2014, 1628 patients with STEMI as the first manifestation of CAD were included after the exclusion of patients with known CAD (n=748, 24.5%), patients with high-risk equivalents (n=930, 30.4%), and patients with normal coronaries (n=57, 1.87%). The individual risk profile was calculated using data previous to the event and patients were classified into three established subgroups: low risk (SCORE<5%; n=1162, 71.4%), high risk (SCORE 5-10%; n=409, 25.1%), and very high risk (SCORE≥10%; n=57, 3.5%)., Conclusion: In a population of patients with STEMI as the first manifestation of CAD, the CV risk stratification with the SCORE risk charts, if calculated before the event, would classify as low risk more than two-thirds of the patients (71.4%) and only 3.5% would be classified as very high-risk patients. The high prevalence of low-risk patients indicates the current challenge of CV risk stratification, underlying the need for additional tools in primary prevention to better identify patients at risk.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an important treatment in high surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), whose complications need to be managed promptly. The authors report the case of an 86-year-old woman presenting with severe symptomatic AS, rejected for surgery due to advanced age and comorbidities. The patient underwent a first TAVI, with implantation of a Medtronic CoreValve ® , which became dislodged and migrated to the ascending aorta. Due to the previous balloon valvuloplasty, the patient's AS became moderate, and her symptoms improved. After several months, she required another intervention, performed with a St. Jude Portico ® repositionable self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve. There was a good clinical response that was maintained at one-year follow-up. The use of a self-expanding transcatheter bioprosthesis with repositioning features is a solution in cases of valve dislocation to avoid suboptimal positioning of a second implant, especially when the two valves have to be positioned overlapping or partially overlapping each other., (Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The aim of the present paper was to report trends in coronary angioplasty for the treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Portugal., Methods: Prospective multicenter data from the Portuguese National Registry of Interventional Cardiology (RNCI) and official data from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) were studied to analyze percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures for STEMI from 2002 to 2013., Results: In 2013, 3524 primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) procedures were performed (25% of all procedures), an increase of 315% in comparison to 2002 (16% of all interventions). Between 2002 and 2013 the rate increased from 106 to 338 p-PCIs per million population per year. Rescue angioplasty decreased from 70.7% in 2002 to 2% in 2013. During this period, the use of drug-eluting stents grew from 9.9% to 69.5%. After 2008, the use of aspiration thrombectomy increased, reaching 46.7% in 2013. Glycoprotein IIb-IIIa inhibitor use decreased from 73.2% in 2002 to 23.6% in the last year of the study. Use of a radial approach increased steadily from 8.3% in 2008 to 54.6% in 2013., Conclusion: During the reporting period there was a three-fold increase in primary angioplasty rates per million population. Rescue angioplasty has been overtaken by p-PCI as the predominant procedure since 2006. New trends in the treatment of STEMI were observed, notably the use of drug-eluting stents and radial access as the predominant approach., (Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)