Non-Q- and Q-wave infarction after thrombolytic therapy with intravenous streptokinase for chest pain and anterior ST-segment elevation.
The clinical features of patients treated with streptokinase for chest pain and anterior ST-segment elevation who subsequently develop non-Q-wave infarction are unknown. Of the 75 consecutive patients who initially presented with chest pain and ST-segment elevation in the anterior leads (V1-V6, I, aVL) and were treated with intravenous streptokinase (time from symptoms to treatment averaged less than 3 hours), 32 (43%) developed a non-Q-wave and 43 (57%) a Q-wave myocardial infarction. Twenty seven of 32 patients (84%) from the non-Q-wave group and 39 of 43 (91%) from the Q-wave group were studied by angiography at 5.16 +/- 2.88 days after the onset of myocardial infarction. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was 13 +/- 6 vs 20 +/- 7 mm Hg (p less than 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction was 60 +/- 8 vs 49 +/- 14% (p less than 0.001) and the infarct vessel patency rate was 85 vs 72% (p = 0.44) in patients with a non-Q versus a Q-wave infarction, respectively. In summary, when patients presenting with chest pain and ST-segment elevation are treated with streptokinase, a significant portion of these symptoms will evolve into a non-Q-wave infarction. Patients with a non-Q-wave infarction will have a better preserved left ventricular function than patients who develop a Q-wave infarction. This suggests the need for equal distribution of such patients in randomized trials of thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction to avoid misinterpreting data between groups.
Chouhan
L
L
Department of Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, Arabian Gulf.
Hajar
H A
HA
George
T
T
Pomposiello
J C
JC
D000328:Adult; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D011379:Prognosis; D013300:Streptokinase / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy
D002784:Cholesterol; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D013300:Streptokinase