Elevation of biomarkers and long-term outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention

The impact of an elevation of cardiac biomarkers occurring after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on long-term outcome remains controversial. Most available data are based on observational registries using multivariable analysis. In this study, a case-control approach was used to assess separately the impact of post-PCI elevation of CK-MB on the short-term in-hospital outcome and on the long-term outcome after hospital discharge.

Between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2008, a postprocedural rise of CK-MB was observed in 363 among 8346 consecutive PCI procedures (4·3%). The overall in-hospital mortality for patients with or without CK-MB elevation after PCI was 8·5% and 1·5%, respectively (P < 0·001). For 245 hospital survivors with CK-MB elevation, we found 245 control cases matched for 9 relevant clinical parameters in our PCI database during the same period. The long-term survival of these patients was assessed by KM estimates.

Despite an increased in-hospital mortality among patients with periprocedural elevation of CK-MB, the long-term outcome of patients who are discharged alive is independent of CK-MB release, curves of overall survival and of survival free of recurrence of myocardial infarction being similar up to 10 years after hospital discharge.

In our population, the elevation of CK-MB after PCI identified a high-risk subgroup for in-hospital mortality but had no impact on the long-term prognosis, once the patient is discharged alive from the hospital.