title: Are patients with angiographically near-normal coronary arteries who present as acute myocardial infarction actually safe?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a paucity of data concerning the clinical outcome of patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and near-normal coronary angiograms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome and the prognosis of the patients with near-normal coronary angiograms who were registered in the Korean Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR).
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were divided into three groups according to findings from coronary angiograms performed between September 2005 and November 2006. Among 8510 consecutive AMI patients, 372 patients (Group I) had near-normal coronary arteries, 6136 patients (Group II) had one- or two-vessel disease, and 2002 patients (Group III) had three-vessel or left main disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical characteristics, in-hospital mortality, and major cardiac adverse events (MACE) were analyzed. Group I was younger, had the lower prevalence of DM, and showed the higher percentage of previous angina history compared to the other two groups. Group III showed a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality, but there was no significant difference between Group I and Group II (2.6% in Group II and 2.2% in Group I, p=0.952). Furthermore, MACE at 1 month, 6 months and 12 months revealed no significant difference between Groups I and II (12 month MACE: 7.8% in Group I and 12.2% in Group II, p=0.359).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with near-normal coronary angiograms had similar clinical outcomes and prognosis compared with one- or two-vessel diseased patients presenting with an acute myocardial infarction.
authors: Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea.
authors: Won Yu
authors: WY
authors: Kang
authors: Myung Ho
authors: MH
authors: Jeong
authors: Young Keun
authors: YK
authors: Ahn
authors: Jong Hyun
authors: JH
authors: Kim
authors: Shung Chull
authors: SC
authors: Chae
authors: Young Jo
authors: YJ
authors: Kim
authors: Seung Ho
authors: SH
authors: Hur
authors: In Whan
authors: IW
authors: Seong
authors: Taek Jong
authors: TJ
authors: Hong
authors: Dong Hoon
authors: DH
authors: Choi
authors: Myeong Chan
authors: MC
authors: Cho
authors: Chong Jin
authors: CJ
authors: Kim
authors: Ki Bae
authors: KB
authors: Seung
authors: Wook Sung
authors: WS
authors: Chung
authors: Yang Soo
authors: YS
authors: Jang
authors: Seung Woon
authors: SW
authors: Rha
authors: Jang Ho
authors: JH
authors: Bae
authors: Jeong Gwan
authors: JG
authors: Cho
authors: Seung Jung
authors: SJ
authors: Park
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality*; D003325:Coronary Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality*; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index