Door-to-balloon time with primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction impacts late cardiac mortality in high-risk patients and patients presenting early after the onset of symptoms.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of door-to-balloon time with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on late cardiac mortality.

Background: The impact of door-to-balloon time on outcomes is controversial, and the impact on late mortality has not been studied.

Methods: Consecutive patients (n = 2,322) treated with primary PCI from 1984 to 2003 were prospectively identified and followed up for a median of 83 months.

Poor long-term patient and graft survival after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction due to saphenous vein graft occlusion.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) due to saphenous vein graft (SVG) occlusion has been associated with poor procedural results and poor short-term outcomes, but long-term graft patency and patient survival have not been evaluated. Consecutive patients (n = 2,240) with STEMI treated with primary PCI from 1984 to 2003 were followed for 6.6 years (median).

Relation between electrocardiographic ST-segment resolution and early and late outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction.

ST-segment resolution (STR) is a surrogate end point in reperfusion trials of acute myocardial infarction, but there are few data regarding the optimum methods of measurement, clinical predictors, and correlation with late cardiac mortality. Consecutive patients (n = 1,005) who had acute myocardial infarction and >/=2 mm ST-segment elevation controlled with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) constituted our study group. Follow-up was obtained in 97% of patients at a median of 6.