Effectiveness of primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction in patients on dialysis.

We sought to characterize the outcome in patients who were on long-term dialysis and who underwent primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for acute myocardial infarction. Of 2,831 consecutive patients who underwent primary PTCA for acute myocardial infarction from 1993 to 2001, 15 patients on long-term dialysis were identified. This small cohort had a 40% incidence of cardiogenic shock on admission. Despite the angiographic success rate for primary PTCA of 80%, in-hospital mortality was 53%.