Primary angioplasty and routine utilization of thrombus aspiration devices: feasibility and results in a consecutive series of 486 patients.

Background: Primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is the treatment of choice for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in high-volume centres with experienced operators, but is often limited by a suboptimal microvascular perfusion due to distal embolization and impaired myocardial perfusion. The present study investigates whether routine use of thrombus aspiration (TA) devices is feasible in daily practice, along with its safety and effectiveness.

Methods: This study is based on a series of 486 consecutive STEMI patients treated at our single institution by the same three operators (from 2001 to 2005).