Evaluating the role of intravenous pentoxifylline administration on primary percutaneous coronary intervention success rate in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (PENTOS-PCI)

Ischemia reperfusion injury can lead to further myocardiocyte damage in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Pentoxifylline is a methylxanthine derivative with known anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, vasodilator, and rheological properties which can be a promising agent in preventing reperfusion injury. PENTOS-PCI is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial which evaluated the efficacy and safety of preprocedural administration of intravenous pentoxifylline in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients with acute STEMI who were eligible for PCI were randomized to receive either 100-mg intravenous infusion of pentoxifylline or placebo, prior to transferring to catheterization laboratory. Overall, 161 patients were included in our study of whom 80 patients were assigned to pentoxifylline and 81 to the control groups. Per-protocol analysis of primary endpoint indexing PCI’s success rate as measured by thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade 3 was not significantly different between pentoxifylline and placebo (71.3% and 66.3% respectively, P = 0.40). In addition, pentoxifylline could not improve secondary angiographic endpoints including myocardial blush grade 3 (87.5% and 85.2%, P = 0.79) and corrected TIMI frame count (22.8 [± 9.0] and 24.0 [± 5.1], P = 0.33) in the intervention and placebo groups respectively. The rates of major adverse cardiac and treatment emergent adverse effects were not significantly different between the two groups. Administration of intravenous pentoxifylline before primary PCI did not improve the success rate of the procedure in patients with STEMI. Intravenous administration of pentoxifylline was well tolerated, and there were no significant differences regarding adverse drug reactions in the two groups. Graphical Abstract Panel A, background: pentoxifylline is a methylxanthine derivative with known anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, vasodilator, and rheological properties which can be a promising agent in preventing reperfusion injury. Panel B: study design and main results of the PENTOS-PCI trial. cTFC corrected TIMI frame count, ED emergency department, IRI ischemia reperfusion injury, MBG myocardial blush grade, PCI percutaneous coronary intervention, PPCI primary PCI, PTX pentoxifylline, ROS reactive oxygen species, SD standard deviation, STEMI ST-elevation myocardial infarction, TIMI thrombolysis in myocardial infarction.