title: Electrophysiological effects of late percutaneous coronary intervention for infarct-related coronary artery occlusion: the Occluded Artery Trial-Electrophysiological Mechanisms (OAT-EP).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Occluded Artery Trial-Electrophysiological Mechanisms (OAT-EP) tested the hypothesis that opening a persistently occluded infarct-related artery by percutaneous coronary intervention and stenting (PCI) after the acute phase of myocardial infarction compared with optimal medical therapy alone reduces markers of vulnerability to ventricular arrhythmias.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between April 2003 and December 2005, 300 patients with an occluded native infarct-related artery 3 to 28 days (median, 12 days) after myocardial infarction were randomized to PCI or optimal medical therapy. Ten-minute digital Holter recordings were obtained before randomization, at 30 days, and at 1 year. The primary end point was the change in alpha1, a nonlinear heart rate variability parameter, between baseline and 1 year. Major secondary end points were the changes in the filtered QRS duration on the signal-averaged ECG and variability in T-wave morphology (T-wave variability) between baseline and 1 year. There were no significant differences in the changes in alpha1 (-0.04; 95% CI, -0.12 to 0.04), filtered QRS (2.2 ms; 95% CI, -1.4 to 5.9 ms), or T-wave variability (3.0 microV; 95% CI, -4.8 to 10.7 microV) between the PCI and medical therapy groups (medical therapy change minus PCI change). Multivariable analysis revealed that the results were unchanged after adjustment for baseline clinical variables and medication treatments during the Holter recordings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCI with stenting of a persistently occluded infarct-related artery during the subacute phase after myocardial infarction compared with medical therapy alone had no significant effect on changes in heart rate variability, the time-domain signal-averaged ECG, or T-wave variability during the first year after myocardial infarction. These findings are consistent with the lack of clinical benefit, including no reduction in sudden death, with PCI for stable patients with persistently occluded infarct-related arteries after myocardial infarction in the main OAT.
authors.affiliation: Electrophysiology Laboratories, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Health Sciences Center T16-080, 100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA. eric.rashba@stonybrook.edu
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Rashba
authors.forename: Gervasio A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lamas
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Couderc
authors.forename: Sharri M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hollist
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dzavik
authors.forename: Witold
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ruzyllo
authors.forename: Viliam
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fridrich
authors.forename: Christopher E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Buller
authors.forename: Sandra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Forman
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kufera
authors.forename: Antonio C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Judith S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hochman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D054059:Coronary Occlusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D003645:Death, Sudden; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome