36% of patients in the pharmacoinvasive group required “rescue” PCI. Significantly more open vessels were found during coronary

flt angiography (before PCI) in the pharmacoinvasive group compared to the PPCI group (TIMI flow grade 0 in 16% vs. 59.3% respectively, p < 0.001). Overall, 80% of patients in the pharmacoinvasive group and 90% in the PPCI group eventually underwent PCI (p < 0.001). However, significantly more patients in the pharmacoinvasive group underwent coronary artery bypass surgery (4.7% vs. 2.1 %, p = 0.002). 6 An important evaluation of the rates of aborted myocardial infarction (prespecified secondary end-point) was recently published in a separate communication. 8 Aborted myocardial infarction was defined as ST-elevation resolution ≥ 50% (90 minutes post-initiation of tenecteplase in the pharmacoinvasive group or 30 minutes post-PCI in the PPCI group) with

minimal biomarker rise; defined as CK-MB ≤ 2 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) or cardiac troponin T/I ≤ 5 times the ULN. Amongst the patients who fulfilled these criteria, those who developed new pathological Q-waves on their discharge ECGs were excluded. Overall, 99 patients (11.1%) in the pharmacoinvasive group had aborted MI compared to 59 patients (6.9%) in the PPCI group (p < 0.01), a finding most likely driven by the significantly shorter time delay from onset of symptoms to start of reperfusion therapy in the formed group (100 minutes vs. 178 minutes for the pharmacoinvasive and PPCI groups respectively, p < 0.001). The difference in aborted MI rates observed between both groups did not however have a significant interaction with the primary composite end-point. Fast-mi Registry The FAST-MI Registry was designed to evaluate the “real world” management of patients with acute MI, and to assess their in-hospital, medium- and long-term outcomes. Patients

were recruited consecutively at the end of 2005 from 223 centers across France over a period of one month. Physicians participating in the study cared for their patients according to their usual practice, completely independent from the study. 9 The investigators recently reported Dacomitinib the 5-year survival rates of patients with STEMI who sought medical attention within 12 hours from the onset of symptoms. 7 Of the 1492 patients whose data was available, 447 (30%) received fibrinolysis (two thirds of whom had pre-hospital fibrinolysis), 583 (39%) were referred for PPCI, and 462 (31%) received no reperfusion therapy. Patients who did not receive reperfusion therapy were older, more likely to have history of cardiovascular disease and other comorbidities, as well as an overall higher risk profile.