title: Reperfusion in acute myocardial infarction: current concepts.
abstract: Myocardial reperfusion is the treatment of choice in acute myocardial infarction. Pharmacological thrombolysis restores coronary artery patency in about two thirds of patients with acute myocardial infarction. However, mechanical reperfusion with primary angioplasty and stenting achieves higher patency rates with less complications, especially in high-risk patients. Adjunctive pharmacotherapy and new device technology may improve the outcome of primary angioplasty. Facilitated angioplasty using a combination of half-dose thrombolysis, platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists, and early intervention, appears to be a promising strategy for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction in the modern era. The efficacy and safety of this approach are currently evaluated in several ongoing trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Athens Euroclinic, Athens, Greece. dkatrits@otenet.gr
authors.forename: Demosthenes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Katritsis
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karvouni
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Webb-Peploe
mesh_terms: D017130:Angioplasty; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015607:Stents; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy
chemical_list: D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex