Two- and three-year results of the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Phase II clinical trial

This report describes the survival and reinfarction rates for 2- and 3-year follow-up in the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Phase II clinical trial.

Patients enrolled in TIMI II were randomly assigned to an invasive (1,681 patients) or a conservative (1,658 patients) management strategy to follow receipt of intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator for acute myocardial infarction.

Eligibility required presentation within 4h of onset of symptoms and at least 1-mV ST segment elevation in two contiguous electrocardiographic leads. The invasive strategy group underwent cardiac catheterization 18 to 48 h after study entry and, when appropriate, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting. In the conservative strategy group these diagnostic and revascularization procedures were reserved for recurrent spontaneous ischemia or ischemia on low level exercise at the time of hospital discharge.

Complete 2-year follow-up data are available for 3,187 patients (95.4%). Cumulative life-table rates of death or reinfarction were 17.6% for the invasive strategy group and 17.9% for the conservative strategy group (p = NS) and mortality was 8.9% and 8.7% (p = NS), respectively. Complete data are available for 1,959 (90.1%) of the 2,174 patients enrolled for 3 years. Rates of death or reinfarction were 21.0% for the invasive strategy group with 20.0% for the conservative strategy group (p = NS), with mortality of 11.5% and 11.0% (p = NS), respectively. In this cohort, the mortality was 1.3% in the 2nd year and 1.7% in the 3rd year from study entry.

TIMI II invasive and conservative strategies resulted in similar favorable outcomes after 2 and 3 years. Mortality and reinfarction rates in the two strategies were comparable. Deaths were infrequent in the 2nd and 3rd years from study entry.