Evaluation of Infarct-Related Coronary Artery Patency and Microcirculatory Function After Facilitated Percutaneous Primary Coronary Angioplasty

Objectives The FINESSE-ANGIO (Facilitated Intervention with Enhanced Reperfusion Speed to Stop Events–Angiographic) study evaluated acute treatment effects on infarct-related artery (IRA) patency and angiographic correlates of coronary microcirculatory function. Background The FINESSE trial evaluated the effects on clinical outcomes of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) facilitated with pre–catheterization laboratory administration of abciximab with half-dose reteplase (combination-facilitated group), abciximab alone (abciximab-facilitated group), or with abciximab administered immediately before the procedure (primary PCI). Methods The FINESSE-ANGIO substudy compared the effects of the 3 treatment strategies on patency (TIMI [Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction] flow grade 2/3) of the IRA at basal coronary angiography. The secondary efficacy end points were corrected TIMI frame count, percentage of patients achieving TIMI flow grade 3, and the percentage achieving myocardial blush grade 2/3 of the IRA at post-PCI angiography. All angiographies were evaluated at a central core laboratory. Results Of the 2,452 FINESSE patients, 637 were included in the FINESSE-ANGIO substudy. Patients in the combination-facilitated group exhibited significantly higher rates of baseline IRA patency compared with the abciximab-facilitated and the primary PCI groups (76.1% vs. 43.7% and 32.7%, respectively; p Conclusions Pre–catheterization laboratory administration of abciximab alone and especially in combination with half-dose reteplase resulted in higher rates of IRA patency at baseline coronary angiography compared with no pre-treatment. However, post-procedural angiographic and microcirculatory variables were unaffected by facilitation therapy.