title: The Strategic Reperfusion Early After Myocardial Infarction (STREAM) study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has emerged as the preferred therapy for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) provided it is performed in a timely fashion at an expert 24/7 facility. Fibrinolysis is a well-accepted alternative, especially in patients presenting early after symptom onset. The STREAM study will provide novel information on whether prompt fibrinolysis at first medical contact, followed by timely catheterization or rescue coronary intervention in STEMI patients presenting within 3 hours of symptom onset, represents an appropriate alternative strategy to primary PCI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Acute STEMI patients presenting early after symptom onset are eligible if PCI is not feasible within 60 minutes of first medical contact. This is an open-label, prospective, randomized, parallel, comparative, international multicenter trial. Patients are randomized to fibrinolysis combined with enoxaparin, clopidogrel, and aspirin, and cardiac catheterization within 6 to 24 hours or rescue coronary intervention if reperfusion fails within 90 minutes of fibrinolysis versus PCI performed according to local guidelines. Composite efficacy end points at 30 days include death, shock, heart failure, and reinfarction. Safety end points include ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, and major nonintracranial bleeding. Follow-up is extended to 1 year and includes all-cause mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Continuing delays in achieving timely PCI remain a difficult issue. Many patients fail to achieve the desired reperfusion times of 90 to 120 minutes after first medical contact. The STREAM results will provide useful additional data on which to base informed therapeutic decisions.
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. paul.armstrong@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gershlick
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilcox
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Danays
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bluhmki
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van de Werf
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002423:Cause of Death; D000077144:Clopidogrel; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004562:Electrocardiography; D017984:Enoxaparin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion / Q000379:methods*; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013988:Ticlopidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D017984:Enoxaparin; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D000077144:Clopidogrel; D013988:Ticlopidine; D001241:Aspirin