Objectives: To compare primary stenting in the infarct-related coronary artery with intravenous rt-PA therapy plus rescue intracoronary stenting.
Methods: Ninety-eight patients with a first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were randomly treated with primary intracoronary stenting (primary stenting group) or with intravenous rt-PA therapy plus rescue intracoronary stenting (thrombolysis plus stenting group). Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade was assessed by angiography in emergency, and cardiac function (left ventricular ejection fraction, LVEF) was calculated by echocardiography before discharge between the two groups.
Results: There were 47 patients (97.91%) in primary stenting group and 50 patients (100%) in thrombolysis plus stenting group had achieved TIMI grade 2 - 3 flow after the procedure. But the former had more cases (93.8%) of TIMI 3 flow than that of latter (60.0%, P = 0.0001). There was no difference between the two groups in cardiac events during hospitalization. But the patients in primary stenting group had better cardiac function (LVEF 0.62 +/- 0.14 vs. 0.50 +/- 0.12, respectively, P = 0.0001) between the two groups.
Conclusions: Primary intracoronary stenting may improve myocardial reperfusion in emergency and inhibit the decline of cardiac function after AMI in comparison with intravenous rt-PA thrombolysis plus rescue intracoronary stenting.