Catheter Cardiovasc Interv
April 2011
Background: Fibrinolysis remains an important treatment for ST-elevation myocardial infarction, but fails to achieve adequate reperfusion in a significant proportion of cases. "Rescue" angioplasty is seen as the preferred treatment strategy in most contemporary centers although the literature provides conflicting evidence.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of rescue angioplasty performed at our cardiothoracic center from July 1999 to June 2008.