The Impact of Blood Pressure Variability on Coronary Arterial Lumen Dimensions as Assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background Patients with ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) experience drastic hemodynamic systemic changes (i.e., blood pressure) during the different phases of the procedure. Optical coherence tomography is often used to unveil the underlying cause of STEMI (pre-PCI) and to optimize stent implantation (post-PCI). The impact of blood pressure variability on coronary lumen remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between blood pressure variability, before and after PCI, and coronary arterial lumen dimensions of the infarct-related artery. Methods We measured systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure (SBP, DBP, and MAP; respectively) at pre- and post-PCI. Frequency-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) imaging was performed at the same time points. Offline quantitative image analyses were performed to assess the average and minimum lumen area (LA). Δ blood pressure (after and before the PCI) was then calculated. Results A total of 14 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients were included. 84.2% of enrolled patients were male with a mean age of (58 ± 10.7 years). Roughly two-thirds (57.8%) had hypertension. The mean SBP was (112.6 mm Hg ± 16.1) and (117.2 mm Hg ± 20.9), pre- and post-stenting, respectively; the range of the observed SBP differences (between pre- and post-PCI) went from −25 to +23 mm Hg. Pre- and post-stenting mean average LA were (7.1 ± 2.5 mm2 and 6.8 ± 2.3 mm2; respectively). There were poor correlations between ΔSBP and Δ mean minimum LA. A similar pattern was observed with ΔDBP and ΔMAP. Conclusion Despite significant hemodynamic variability, the difference in lumen cross-sectional area, between pre- and post-coronary artery stenting was minimal. This study supports the use of OCT lumen areas to inform clinical decisions during PPCI.