title: Aspiration of thrombus in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of Export Aspiration Catheter with restoration of ECG changes, arterial flow and myocardial perfusion in patients with ST segment elevation Myocardial Infarction undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 40 consecutive patients with ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) were selected. They underwent treatment according to the surgeon's discretion to either standard PCI or PCI with thrombus aspiration Catheter. Primary end points of the study were ST Segment resolution (STR) > 70% and myocardial blush grade (MBG) > 2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The base line clinical and procedural characteristics were same for both the groups. In the post intervention comparison the thrombus aspiration group was found to have significantly better outcomes as compared to the standard PCI group with regards to TIMI flow grade (p = 0.009) and myocardial blush grade (p = 0.001). Considering the criteria for MBG and STR together, the thrombus aspiration was found to have significantly better outcome than the standard PCI group (p = 0.017).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This non-randomized study shows that Export Aspiration Catheter group with STEMI undergoing primary PCI is feasible and results in better angiographic ECG and myocardial perfusion rates compared with standard PCI. Role of export catheter in rescue PCI and thrombus Sapheneous Venous Graft (SVG) as primary PCI is questionable and needs larger randomized studies to prove its efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Catheterization Laboratory, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi.
authors.forename: Tariq
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.forename: Syed Ishtiaq
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Rasool
authors.forename: Tahir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saghir
authors.forename: Syed Nadeem Hassan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Rizvi
authors.forename: Nadeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Qamar
authors.forename: Khan Shah
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Zaman
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishaque
authors.forename: Asadullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kundi
mesh_terms: D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003328:Coronary Thrombosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy