title: Long-term follow-up of a randomized study of primary stenting versus angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Primary stenting leads to better short-term outcomes than does balloon angioplasty among patients with acute myocardial infarction, but there are no data available on long-term follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  We designed a randomized study with long-term follow-up to compare primary angioplasty with angioplasty accompanied by implantation of a silicon carbide-coated stent in patients within 24 hours after the onset of acute myocardial infarction. All 88 patients had lesions that were suitable for coronary stenting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 44 patients in each of the randomization groups. During long-term follow-up (mean +/- SD: 710+/-282 days), primary stenting was associated with a reduction in the combined endpoint of death, reinfarction, or target vessel revascularization (10 [23%] versus 19 [43%], P = 0.03); death (4 [9%] versus 8 [18%], P = 0.18); reinfarction (1 [2%] versus 4 [9%], P = 0.18); and target lesion revascularization (7 [16%] versus 15 [34%], P = 0.04). Rehospitalization due to ischemic events (unstable angina or reinfarction) was also less frequent in the stent group (6 [14%] versus 10 [23%], P = 0.20).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary stenting in acute myocardial infarction is significantly superior to angioplasty alone in both short-term and long-term follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Division of Internal Medicine III, University of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Scheller
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hennen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Severin-Kneib
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozbek
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schieffer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Markwirth
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000201:enzymology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D010359:Patient Readmission; D012008:Recurrence; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome