title: Early intervention in acute myocardial infarction: significance for myocardial salvage of immediate intravenous streptokinase therapy followed by coronary angioplasty.
abstract: Sixteen patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent treatment with streptokinase up to 3 hours after the onset of chest pain. Nine patients (group I) received streptokinase within 1 hour of the onset of pain, and seven patients (group II) received it within 2 to 3 hours. All underwent multigated radionuclide ventriculography after streptokinase therapy and 1 week later. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of the infarct artery was performed within 24 hours in all patients. An effort-limited treadmill stress test was performed before discharge. There was no mortality or serious complication. Mean peak total creatine kinase was 521 +/- 289 mU/ml in group I, and 1,614 +/- 709 mU/ml in group II (p less than 0.05). The mean initial left ventricular ejection fraction was 47 +/- 11% in group I and 37 +/- 10% in group II. After early angioplasty (within 24 hours) and at 1 week recovery, left ventricular ejection fraction increased to 53 +/- 9% in group I (p less than 0.05) and to 40 +/- 7% in group II (p = NS). Seven of the nine patients in group I had normal radionuclide ventriculograms at discharge compared with none of the seven patients in group II. Thrombolytic therapy administered less than 1 hour after the onset of symptoms of acute myocardial infarction followed by angioplasty of the infarct artery results in preservation of left ventricular function, whereas therapy given after 2 hours has only a limited effect.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013300:Streptokinase / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D013300:Streptokinase