Prognostic impact of chronic total occlusion in a nonculprit artery in patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty.
OBJECTIVE
The prognostic value of chronic total occlusion in nonculprit coronary arteries in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty remains controversial. Several publications have described different methodologies and conflicting findings. In addition, causes of death were not reported. Our aim is to analyze the prognostic impact of chronic total occlusion in nonculprit coronary arteries and the role of left ventricular ejection fraction in this analysis.


METHODS
Prospective inclusion of consecutive patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who underwent primary angioplasty. We recorded baseline characteristics, in-hospital clinical course, and mortality and its causes during follow-up. We assessed the impact of chronic total occlusion on mortality using Cox regression analysis.


RESULTS
Chronic total occlusion in nonculprit arteries was present in 125 of 1176 patients (10.6%); in 79 of these 125 patients, chronic total occlusion was present in the proximal segments. The mean follow-up was 339 days; 64 (5.8%) patients died during the first 6 months. Patients with chronic total occlusions had more comorbidities, poorer ventricular function, and higher mortality (hazard ratio=2.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.71-4.56). Chronic total occlusion was also associated with noncardiac death (hazard ratio=3.83; 95% confidence interval, 2.10-7.01). Chronic total occlusion in proximal segments was associated with both cardiac (hazard ratio=3.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-7.30) and noncardiac deaths (hazard ratio=3.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.67-7.06). The multivariate analysis performed without including left ventricular ejection fraction showed a significant association between chronic total occlusion and mortality. However, when left ventricular ejection fraction was included in the analysis, this association was nonsignificant (hazard ratio=1.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-3.65; P=.166).


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic total occlusion in this clinical setting identified patients at higher risk with more comorbidities and higher mortality, but did not behave as an independent predictor of mortality when left ventricular ejection fraction was included in the analysis.
Unidad Coronaria, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: aariza@bellvitgehospital.cat.
Albert
A
Ariza-Solé
Unidad de Cardiología Intervencionista, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Luis
L
Teruel
Unidad Coronaria, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Andrea
A
di Marco
Unidad Coronaria, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Victòria
V
Lorente
Unidad Coronaria, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
José C
JC
Sánchez-Salado
Unidad de Cardiología Intervencionista, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Guillermo
G
Sánchez-Elvira
Unidad de Cardiología Intervencionista, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Rafael
R
Romaguera
Unidad de Cardiología Intervencionista, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Josep
J
Gómez-Lara
Unidad de Cardiología Intervencionista, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Joan A
JA
Gómez-Hospital
Unidad de Cardiología Intervencionista, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Angel
A
Cequier
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000379:methods*; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies
Angioplastia primaria; Chronic total occlusion; Infarto de miocardio; Myocardial infarction; Oclusión total crónica; Primary angioplasty; Prognosis; Pronóstico