Temporal Trends in Cardiovascular Events After Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment Elevation

Pernille Gro Thrane1, Kevin Kris Warnakula Olesen2, Troels Thim1

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

JACC. Advances
|February 21, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) significantly reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. The 1-year MACE risk dropped by one-third, showing improved outcomes in cardiac care.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) has been Denmark's standard reperfusion therapy for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) since 2003.
  • Previous findings indicated a decrease in 1-year mortality for pPCI-treated STEMI patients.
  • This study investigates the trends in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) to understand the causes behind mortality reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze trends in the 1-year risk of MACE in STEMI patients treated with pPCI.
  • To evaluate changes in MACE risk from 2003 to 2017.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Western Denmark Heart Registry for first-time pPCI-treated STEMI patients (2003-2017).
  • Categorized patients into four time periods for analysis: 2003-2006, 2007-2010, 2011-2014, and 2015-2017.
  • Defined the primary outcome as 1-year MACE (recurrent myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or cardiovascular death) and compared trends with an age- and sex-matched general population.

Main Results:

  • Included 18,540 STEMI patients; the 1-year MACE risk decreased from 13.0% (2003-2006) to 8.7% (2015-2017), a statistically significant reduction (adjusted HR: 0.67).
  • Individual MACE components also showed similar relative reductions, with cardiovascular death being the most frequent outcome and the primary driver of the absolute MACE reduction.
  • The excess 1-year MACE risk in STEMI patients compared to the general population narrowed from 11% to 7% over the study period.

Conclusions:

  • A fully implemented pPCI strategy in Western Denmark correlated with a gradual, significant decline in 1-year MACE risk.
  • The risk reduction by approximately one-third for MACE and its components highlights improved patient outcomes following pPCI for STEMI.
  • These findings underscore the long-term effectiveness of pPCI in managing STEMI and reducing adverse cardiovascular events.
Abstract