Time for contrast material to traverse the epicardial artery and the myocardium in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction versus unstable angina pectoris/non-ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction.
Although the time for contrast material to fill the epicardial artery in the setting of acute coronary syndromes has been studied extensively, the time for contrast material to fill the myocardium has not been evaluated. We compared differences in myocardial contrast material transit among patients with unstable angina pectoris/non-ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (UAP/NSTEAMI) with patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEAMI). The time it took for contrast material to first appear and to arrive at peak intensity in the myocardium was compared in 224 patients with STEAMI enrolled in the LIMIT-AMI study versus 430 patients with UAP/NSTEAMI enrolled in the TACTICS-TIMI 18 trial. In patients with STEAMI, there was a delay in both the time for contrast material to first enter the myocardium (5,619 +/- 1,789 vs 4,663 +/- 1,626 ms, p <0.0001) and the time from entrance to peak blush intensity (2,387 +/- 1,359 vs 1,959 +/- 1,244 ms, p = 0.003) compared with patients with UAP/NSTEAMI. STEAMI remained significantly associated with impaired entrance of contrast material into the myocardium (p <0.0001) in a multivariate model controlling for known correlates of impaired epicardial flow (presence of thrombus, percent diameter stenosis, left anterior descending artery location, and contrast material inflow in the epicardial artery [corrected TIMI frame count]). The time for contrast material to enter the myocardium is impaired to a greater degree in STEAMI compared with UAP/NSTEAMI, even after adjusting for other variables known to delay flow in the epicardial artery. These data provide insight into potential mechanistic differences between these 2 clinical syndromes.
Wong
Graham C
GC
TIMI Study Group and the Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Frisch
Daniel
D
Murphy
Sabina A
SA
Sabatine
Marc S
MS
Pai
Rupal
R
James
David
D
Kraimer
Nicole
N
Katsiyiannis
Peter T
PT
Marble
Susan J
SJ
DiBattiste
Peter M
PM
Demopoulos
Laura A
LA
Gourlay
Steven G
SG
Barron
Hal V
HV
Cannon
Christopher P
CP
Gibson
C Michael
CM
D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000502:physiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors
D003287:Contrast Media