[Long-term outcome after coronary emergency intervention].
OBJECTIVE
Coronary angioplasty (CAG) has become an acceptable method of treating an acute coronary syndrome (myocardial infarction [MI] or unstable angina [UA]). It was the aim of this study to determine whether the results of such emergency treatment differed from those after elective CAG.


METHODS
Results of emergency CAG in 581 patients (aged 60 +/- 11 years; 77% males) admitted to the authors' hospital between July 1994 and December 1996 were compared with those of elective CAG in 2,460 patients (aged 61 +/- 10, admitted during the same period. Follow-up information was obtained after 22.4 +/- 11 months in 93.2% of the patients by examination, written answers to annual questionnaires, data being collected on survival, repeat cardia catheterizations, other interventions, aorto-coronary bypass, occurrence of myocardial infarction, the patients' general state and drugs received.


RESULTS
19 of 517 patients (3.7%) of the group who had undergone elective CAG had died during the follow-up period, compared with 107 of 2436 of the emergency cohort (4.4%; not significant). There were also no significant differences regarding repeat cardiac catheterization, interventions, coronary bypass or re-admission. The proportion of subsequent emergency CAG among all CAGs was 16.8% in the emergency cohort, 8.8% after elective angiography (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Coronary angiography performed in patients with an acute coronary syndrome has no prognostic significance regarding mortality and morbidity after the acute phase of the disease.
Frantz
E
E
Medizinische Klinik, Kardiologie, Universitätsklinikum Charité, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. eckart.frantz@charite.de
Hug
J
J
Pfautsch
P
P
Baumann
M
M
Fleck
E
E
D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome