Early and mid-term clinical outcome of emergency PCI in patients with STEMI due to unprotected left main coronary artery disease.

Objectives: Evaluation of acute and mid-term outcomes of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing emergency PCI due to unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease.

Background: STEMI patients due to ULMCA disease represent a rare, high risk group. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be the preferred strategy of myocardial revascularization but there are few data about this topic.

Methods: We analyzed 30-day and mid-term mortality of 58 patients with STEMI and ULMCA disease as culprit lesion treated in our centre by emergency PCI between 2000 to 2010.

Results: Mean age was 67.3 ± 11.5 years. Thirty (51.7%) patients had cardiogenic shock on admission. PCI success was achieved in 54 patients (93.1%). Mean follow-up was 15.8 ± 10.9 months (median 14, range 6-45). Thirty-day and mid-term mortality rates were 39.7% and 44%. Backward binary logistic regression model identified cardiogenic shock at presentation (OR 12.6, 95% CI 2.97-53.6, P < 0.001), age ≥75 years (OR 5.9, 95% CI 1.3-26.5, P = 0.019) and post-PCI TIMI flow grade <3 (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.8-5.7 P = 0.02) as independent predictors of 30-day mortality. Cox proportional hazard ratio (HR) identified shock at presentation (HR 5.2, 95% CI 1.8-14.3, P < 0.002), age ≥75 years (HR 3.9, 95% CI 1.8-8.7, P < 0.001), post-PCI TIMI flow grade <3 (HR 4.9, 95% CI 1.6-14.6; P < 0.005) as independent predictors of mid-term mortality.

Conclusions: In patients with STEMI and ULMCA as culprit lesion, emergency PCI is a valuable therapeutic strategy. Early and mid-term survival depends on cardiogenic shock, advanced age, and PCI failure. Patients surviving the first month have good mid-term prognosis.