title: Relationship between residual blood flow in the infarct-related artery and scintigraphic infarct size, myocardial salvage, and functional recovery in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: In patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) before primary coronary stenting with adjunct glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor blockade, whether residual blood flow in the infarct-related artery (IRA) affects infarct size or myocardial salvage is not known.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 118 patients with ST-segment elevation AMI who received coronary stenting plus abciximab. SPECT studies were performed before and 7-14 d after stenting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were divided into a group with initial Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade < or = 1 (77 patients) and a group with initial TIMI flow grade > 1 (41 patients). The initial median perfusion defect and (in brackets) the 25th and 75th percentiles were 29.1% [21.0%; 52.0%] of the left ventricle in patients with TIMI flow grade < or = 1, versus 16.5% [8.0%; 33.1%] of the left ventricle in patients with TIMI flow grade > 1 (P < 0.001). Baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (54.0% [45.0; 63.0] vs. 57.0% [40.0; 62.0], P = 0.623) or extension of hypokinetic region (28.0 [14.0; 41.0] hypokinetic chords vs. 24.0 [13.0; 39.0] hypokinetic chords, P = 0.643) did not differ significantly between the group with TIMI flow grade < or = 1 and the group with TIMI flow grade > 1. Final infarct size was 11.0% [6.1%; 23.5%] of the left ventricle in the group with TIMI flow grade < = 1, versus 6.0% [2.0%; 12.8%] of the left ventricle in the group with TIMI flow > 1 (P = 0.008). Salvage index was 0.58 [0.38; 0.76] in the group with TIMI flow grade < or = 1, versus 0.61 [0.36; 0.74] in the group with TIMI flow grade > 1 (P = 0.952). At the day 14 angiography, patients with TIMI flow grade > 1 had better left ventricular ejection fraction (61.0% [54.0%; 68.0%] vs. 56.5% [42.9%; 65.0%]; P = 0.03) and a smaller hypokinetic region (7 chords [0; 22.0] vs. 16 chords [2.5; 30.0]; P = 0.024) than did patients with TIMI flow grade < or = 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preserved blood flow in the IRA in patients with AMI is associated with a smaller area at risk, a smaller infarct, and better recovery of regional and global left ventricular function. The proportion of initial area at risk salvaged by coronary stenting does not seem to depend on residual blood flow in the IRA.
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Herzzentrum München, Munich, Germany. ndrepepa@dhm.mhn.de
authors.forename: Gjin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ndrepepa
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kastrati
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwaiger
authors.forename: Julinda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mehilli
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Markwardt
authors.forename: Alban
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dibra
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dirschinger
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schömig
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D015607:Stents; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi