Comparison of long-term prognostic evaluation between pre-intervention thrombolysis and primary coronary intervention: a prospective randomized trial: five-year results of the IMPORTANT study.
BACKGROUND
Acute efficacy and long-term prognostic differences between ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (primary PCI) and those treated with pre-intervention thrombolysis combined with back-up of facilitated PCI has not been evaluated in Japanese patients. The purpose of the present study was therefore to evaluate the differences between treatment with primary PCI (primary-PCI group) and pre-treatment with tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) combined with back-up of facilitated PCI (prior-t-PA group).


RESULTS
One hundred and one patients with STEMI were randomly assigned to 2 groups. Patients in the prior-t-PA group were then divided into 2 further groups, the facilitated-PCI and prior-t-PA alone groups. The patency rate at initial angiography, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 6 months, and the major adverse cardiac event (MACE)-free rate at 5 years were then compared between the groups. The patency rate and LVEF in the prior-t-PA group was significantly higher than in the primary-PCI group (69% vs 17% respectively, P<0.001; 61.6+/-9.5% vs 55.0+/-11.6%, respectively; P=0.01). The MACE-free rate in the prior-t-PA group, however, was lower than in the primary-PCI group (58.7% vs 80.9%; P=0.03). The MACE-free rate in the facilitated-PCI group was equal to that in the primary-PCI group (73.7% vs 80.9%; P=0.39), whereas the MACE-free rate in the prior-t-PA-alone group was significantly lower than in the primary-PCI group (48.1% vs 80.9%; P=0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Primary PCI is superior to pre-intervention thrombolysis for long-term prognosis. Moreover, facilitated PCI may be as effective as primary PCI in patients with STEMI.
Itoh
Tomonori
T
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Memorial Heart Center, Iwate Medical University, Morioka 020-8505, Japan. t_itoh@imu.ncvc.go.jp
Fukami
Ken'ichi
K
Suzuki
Tomomi
T
Kimura
Takumi
T
Kanaya
Yoshinori
Y
Orii
Makoto
M
Goto
Iwao
I
Matsui
Hiroki
H
Sugawara
Shoma
S
Nakajima
Satoshi
S
Fusazaki
Tetsuya
T
Nakamura
Motoyuki
M
D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000379:methods*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013318:Stroke Volume; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator