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Background There are conflicting data on the clinical benefit from early administration of abciximab from a large randomized trial and a registry. However, both sources suggest that a benefit may depend on the baseline risk profile of the patients. We evaluated the role of early abciximab administration in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) referred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention stratified by the STEMI Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score. Methods A total of 1,650 patients were enrolled into the EUROTRANSFER Registry. One thousand eighty-six patients received abciximab (66%). Abciximab was administered early in 727 patients (EA) and late in 359 patients (LA). We used the TIMI risk score for risk stratification. Patients with scores ≥3 constituted the high-risk group of 616 patients (56.7%), whereas 470 patients formed the low-risk cohort. Factoring in the timing of the abciximab administration resulted in 4 groups of patients who were compared for mortality at 1 year: EA/high-risk (n = 413); LA/high-risk (n = 203); EA/low-risk (n = 314); LA/low-risk (n = 156). Baseline difference was accounted for by means of propensity score. Results In high-risk patients, 1-year mortality was significantly lower with early abcximab compared to late administration (8.7% vs 15.8%; odds ratio 0.51, CI 0.31-0.85, P = .01). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, both early abciximab administration and patients' risk profile (TIMI score ≥3) were identified as independent predictors of 1-year mortality. Conclusions Early abciximab administration before transfer for percutaneous coronary intervention in STEMI shows lower mortality at 1-year follow-up. This effect is confined to patients with higher risk profile as defined by TIMI risk score ≥3.

Background Although primary angioplasty has been shown to improve survival as compared with thrombolysis, the outcome is still unsatisfactory in subsets of patients such as those with signs of heart failure at presentation. In fact, although primary angioplasty is able to restore TIMI 3 flow in most patients, suboptimal myocardial reperfusion is observed in a relatively large proportion of patients. The aim of this study was to investigate among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty the association between heart failure at presentation and myocardial perfusion and its implications in terms of survival. Methods Our population is represented by patients undergoing primary angioplasty who are included in the EGYPT database. Congestive heart failure was defined as Killip class >1 at admission. Myocardial perfusion was evaluated by myocardial blush grade and ST-segment resolution. Follow-up data were collected between 30 days and 1 year after primary angioplasty. Results Detailed data on Killip class at presentation were available in 1,427 of 1,662 patients (86% of the initial population) who represent the final population of this study. Killip class was associated with myocardial perfusion, distal embolization, enzymatic infarct size, predischarge ejection fraction, and 1-year mortality rate. Myocardial blush was an independent predictor of 1-year mortality (hazard ratio 7.44, 95% CI 1.82-30.4, P = .005) in patients with advanced Killip class at presentation. Conclusions Our study shows that patients with heart failure complicating ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction have impaired myocardial perfusion, which accounts for the poor outcome observed in these patients. Further efforts should be aimed at improving myocardial perfusion, beyond epicardial recanalization, to further improve the outcome of these high-risk patients.

Abciximab is established as adjunct to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Based on some smaller studies, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) networks in various European countries have adopted the start of abciximab before transfer to the catheterization laboratory (cathlab) hospital as part of their routine treatment options. Although a recently published study did not reveal improved clinical outcome when starting abciximab before the cathlab, a potential benefit from such early administration, in particular in the setting of transfer networks, remains unclear and has been the subject of debate.Data of consecutive patients with STEMI transferred for primary PCI in hospital/ambulance-feeded STEMI networks treated between November 2005 and January 2007 at 15 PCI centers from 7 European countries were collected in the web-based EUROTRANSFER Registry.Data from a total of 1,650 patients were collected. Abciximab was administered to 1086 patients (66%), of whom 727 received early abciximab (EA group: abciximab started before admission to cathlab, at least 30 minutes before balloon). Another 359 patients received late abciximab (LA group: periprocedural administration of abciximab in the cathlab). Preprocedural TIMI 3 flow was observed in 17.7% of patients with EA and in 8.9% in the LA group (P.0001). Thirty-day mortality was 3.9% in the EA group versus 7.5% with LA (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.29-0.85, P = .011), and composite 30-day outcome including death, repeated myocardial infarction, and urgent revascularization was present in 5.5% and 10.3%, respectively (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.32-0.81, P = .004). These differences remain statistically significant in favor of early abciximab after accounting and adjustment for differences between the groups by means of a multivariate regression model and propensity score.Patients in STEMI networks transferred for primary PCI who have received abciximab before transfer rather than in the cathlab had more patent arteries before PCI and showed lower rates for death and the composite clinical outcome at 30-day follow-up.

Early abciximab administration before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is recommended in practice guidelines. However, the evidence supporting abciximab use before and during transfer for PPCI is limited. We investigated the effect of early abciximab administration on early reperfusion, ST-segment resolution, enzymatic infarct size, and left ventricular function in patients with first anterior wall STEMI.A total of 59 nonshock patients with STEMI admitted12 hours to remote hospitals with anticipated delay to PPCI of90 minutes were randomly assigned to 2 study groups: 27 patients received abciximab before transfer to catheterization laboratory (Early group), and 32 patients received abciximab immediately before PPCI (Late group).Angiography revealed more frequent infarct-related artery patency in the Early group than in the Late group (TIMI 2 + 3: 48% vs 20%, P = .04). Better ST-segment resolution of50% 60 minutes after PPCI was found in Early group than in the Late group (84% vs 56.7%, P = .04). The area under the curve for creatine kinase-MB indicated a significantly greater extent of myocardial injury in the Late group versus the Early group (8324 +/- 4185 vs 5938 +/- 3949 U/L . h, P = .04). There was a significant difference in the 30-day left ventricular end-systolic volume index (P = .02) and end-diastolic volume index (P = .05) in the echocardiography favoring the Early group.Early abciximab administration before transfer for PPCI in patients with first anterior wall STEMI results in more frequent infarct-related artery patency before PPCI, better myocardial tissue perfusion after PPCI, with lower enzymatic infarct size and lower degree of left ventricular remodeling during 30-day follow-up.