Results of primary percutaneous coronary intervention in a consecutive group of patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction at a tertiary Australian centre

BACKGROUND: Multicentre randomized controlled trials (RCT) of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have consistently shown lower mortality compared with fibrinolysis, if carried out in a timely manner. Although primary PCI is now standard of care in many centres, it remains unknown whether results from RCT of selected patients are generalizable to a 'real-world' Australian setting. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate whether a strategy of routine invasive management for patients with STEMI can achieve 30-day and 12-month mortality rates comparable with multicentre RCT. Secondary goals were to determine 30-day mortality rates in prespecified high-risk subgroups, and symptom-onset- and door-to-balloon-inflation times. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of 189 consecutive patients treated with primary PCI for STEMI in a single Australian centre performing PCI for acute STEMI. RESULTS: All-cause mortality was 6.9% at 30 days, and 10.4% at 12 months. Mortality in patients presenting without cardiogenic shock was low (2.4% at 30 days; 5.0% at 12 months), whereas 12-month mortality in patients with shock was higher, particularly in the elderly (29.4% for patients <75 years; 85.7% for patients > or =75 years, P = 0.01). Symptom-onset-to-balloon-inflation time was < or =4 h in 56% of patients (median 231 min); however, a door-to-balloon time of <90 min was achieved in only 20% (median 133 min). CONCLUSION: Mortality and symptom-onset-to-balloon-inflation times reported in RCT of primary PCI for STEMI are generalizable to 'real-world' Australian practice; however, further efforts to reduce door-to-balloon times are required.