Grade 3 ischemia on the admission electrocardiogram predicts rapid progression of necrosis over time and less myocardial salvage by primary angioplasty.
BACKGROUND
Among patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction, those with terminal QRS distortion (grade 3 ischemia) have higher mortality and larger infarct size (IS) than patients without QRS distortion (grade 2 ischemia).


METHODS
We assessed the relation of baseline electrocardiographic ischemia grades to area at risk (AR) and myocardial salvage [100 (AR-IS)/AR] in 79 patients who underwent primary angioplasty for first ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction and had technetium Tc 99m sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography before angioplasty (AR) and at predischarge (IS). Patients were classified as having grade 2 ischemia (ST elevation without terminal QRS distortion in any of the leads, n = 48), grade 2.5 ischemia (ST elevation with terminal QRS distortion in 1 lead, n = 16), or grade 3 ischemia (ST elevation with terminal QRS distortion in >2 adjacent leads, n = 15).


RESULTS
Time to treatment was comparable among groups. AR was comparable among groups (38% +/- 20%, 33% +/- 23%, and 34% +/- 23%, respectively; P = .70). There were no differences among groups in residual myocardial perfusion (severity index 0.28 +/- 0.12, 0.29 +/- 0.16, and 0.30 +/- 0.15 in grades 2, 2.5, and 3 ischemia, respectively; P = .97). In contrast, there was a trend toward lower myocardial salvage (45% +/- 32%) in the grade 3 group than in the grade 2 (65% +/- 33%) and grade 2.5 (65% +/- 40%) groups ( P = .16). Salvage was dependent on time only in the grade 3 group. Spearman rank correlation coefficients between time to treatment and percentage salvage were 0.003 ( P = .99), -0.24 ( P = .38), and -0.63 ( P = .022) for grades 2, 2.5, and 3, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with grade 3 ischemia have rapid progression of necrosis over time and less myocardial salvage. This admission pattern is a predictor of myocardial salvage by primary angioplasty.
Billgren
Therese
T
Division of Cardiology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.
Maynard
Charles
C
Christian
Timothy F
TF
Rahman
Mohmmad A
MA
Saeed
Mahammad
M
Hammill
Stephen C
SC
Wagner
Galen S
GS
Birnbaum
Yochai
Y
D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000145:classification* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D009336:Necrosis; D010343:Patient Admission; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi