Thrombolysis Followed by Early Percutaneous Coronary Intervention via Transradial Artery Approach in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Infarction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of thrombolysis followed by early percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). A total of 161 patients were enrolled in the study. Fifty-three of them who underwent thrombolysis in non-PCI hospital and immediately transferred to receive early PCI were assigned to the early PCI group (E-PCI); the rest of the patients were assigned to the primary PCI group (P-PCI). Coronary angiography and PCI were performed via the transradial artery approach for patients in both groups. Angiographic parameters, bleeding complications and total hospital stay were compared between the two groups. All patients were followed-up for 30 days to evaluate major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Before PCI procedure, the thrombus score of IRA in the E-PCI group was lower, and the percentage of TIMI flow grade (TFG) 3 was higher (both p < 0.05) compared to those in the P-PCI group. The myocardial reperfusion in the E-PCI group was better than that in the P-PCI group. There was a trend towards a lower peak value of serum creatine kinase MB in the E-PCI group, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) before discharge in E-PCI was higher than that in the P-PCI group (54.38 ± 5.29% vs. 52.19 ± 7.00%, respectively, p = 0.028). No significant differences were found in the incidences of bleeding complications and hospital stay between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the 30-day MACE between the two groups (p = 0.863), and no significance of cumulative MACE-free survival rates were found between the two groups as well (p = 0.522). Variables predicting MACE upon patient follow-up according to univariable Cox regression analyses showed that a history of hyperlipidemia, smokers, TFG of infarction related artery before PCI < 2, and low levels of LVEF were associated with poor clinical outcomes (all p < 0.05). It is safe and efficacious for STEMI patients to receive thrombolysis followed by early PCI via the transradial artery approach. Major adverse cardiac event; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Radial artery; ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction; Thrombolysis.