Stenting of the Infarct-Related Artery During Complicated Angioplasty in Acute Myocardial Infarction

The aim of this study was to assess safety and efficacy of coronary stenting as a strategy for improving PTCA suboptimal angiographic result. From March 1993 to December 1995, 104 patients underwent PTCA during acute myocardial infarction. Unplanned coronary stenting was required in 66 pts (63.5%). Procedural success was obtained in 64 pts (97%). Two patients had an unsuccessful stenting procedure: one patient for a suboptimal stent deployment and another for LAD reocclusion requiring emergency CABG (1.5%). Palmaz-Schatz stents were used in 60 pts (91%) and AVE micro-stent in 6 pts (9%). During the hospital course, subacute reocclusion of the vessel occurred in 3 pts (4.6%); one patient underwent a successful rePTCA while the other two underwent CABG. Two patients had vascular groin complications requiring surgical repair of the femoral artery. During hospitalization, one patient underwent elective CABG for early residual myocardial ischemia. At seventy-two hours from PTCA, one patient (1.5%) died as a result of intestinal infarct. Six months survival rate was 98.3% for 59 pts discharged alive from our department. Ten pts were symptomatic during the follow-up: One patient underwent PTCA on another vessel and the other underwent CABG for a multivessel disease. CABG was used in one patient who presented residual silent ischemia in multivessel coronary artery disease. At six months, the first group of patients (18 pts) underwent planned coronary angiography: Vessel patency was present in 17 patients. One patient had an asymptomatic reocclusion of the treated vessel. This study shows a good angiographic result obtained with intracoronary stenting during primary or rescue PTCA of the infarct-related artery. It does not appear to increase major in-hospital adverse events and may reduce the need for surgical revascularization, reducing in-hospital mortality rate and favorably affecting LVEF.