Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) may give STEMI patients a much better chance of long-term survival, according to new findings published in the American Journal of Cardiology.
“Studies have reported that the short- and long-term mortality rate after STEMI has dramatically decreased in the contemporary p-PCI era,” wrote lead author Naoki Watanabe, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at Ogaki Municipal Hospital in Japan, and colleagues. “However, the mortality after STEMI has remained a major cause of death worldwide. Previous studies reported mortality rates of approximately 50% at 10 years after STEMI; however, these studies involved outdated methods that were used before the p-PCI era.”
Watanabe et al. tracked data from 459 consecutive STEMI patients who underwent p-PCI within 24 hours from 2006 to 2010. The mean patient age was 66.8 years old, and 75.2% of patients were male.
Overall, the post-discharge 10-year survival rate was 76.2%. Being 65 years old or older, presenting with atrial fibrillation, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use and a lower body mass index were all associated with a greater risk of 10-year mortality.
“Our results were similar to those of previous studies and indicated that the use of early reperfusion therapy could reduce the incidence of in-hospital mortality and improve long-term survival,” the authors wrote, adding that most of the patients they studied also “received optimal medical therapy and underwent a comprehensive annual examination” over the course of the analysis.
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