Facilitated PCI in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Immediate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the treatment of choice for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. In this study, PCI that was “facilitated” by pretreatment with reteplase plus abciximab or abciximab alone did not improve clinical outcomes and increased bleeding, calling into question the use of facilitated PCI for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. PCI that was “facilitated” by pretreatment with reteplase plus abciximab or abciximab alone did not improve clinical outcomes and increased bleeding, calling into question the use of facilitated PCI for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Effective and rapid reperfusion is the most important goal in the treatment of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. 1 , 2 When feasible and when performed in a timely and expert fashion, primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the preferred strategy for reperfusion in the treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, because it has been shown to produce superior clinical outcomes as compared with fibrinolytic therapy. 3 – 13 Primary PCI has not, however, become the treatment of choice in many locales because of logistical difficulties, including the inability to offer this treatment strategy in a timely fashion. The time to treatment . . .