title: The importance of patency of the infarct-related artery in treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the impact of patency of the infarct-related artery on the coronary angiogram, both before and after primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction, on 30-day mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 1702 consecutive patients treated with primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction were collected prospectively from 1994 to 2000.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with a (partially) patent infarct artery before primary angioplasty had less damage to the myocardium and a lower 30-day mortality (1.6% versus 3.4%, p=0.04) compared with patients with an occluded artery. Patients with pre-hospital treatment with aspirin and heparin more often presented with a patent artery before angioplasty (31% versus 20%, p<0.001). After primary angioplasty, 95% of patients had a patent artery with a 30-day mortality of 2.2%. The 5% of patients with failed angioplasty had extensive myocardial damage and a 30-day mortality rate of 17%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patency of the infarct-related artery on the coronary angiogram, both before and after primary angioplasty, has a major impact on 30-day mortality.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zijlstra
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.forename: J H E
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Dambrink
authors.forename: A T M
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Gosselink
authors.forename: J P S
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Henriques
authors.forename: A W J
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: van 't Hof
authors.forename: J C A
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hoorntje
authors.forename: J C C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: van der Horst
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suryapranata
keywords: acute myocardial infarction; coronary patency; primary angioplasty