Sustained coronary patency after fibrinolytic therapy as independent predictor of 10-year cardiac survival: Observations from the Antithrombotics in the Prevention of Reocclusion in COronary Thrombolysis (APRICOT) trial

Brouwer, Marc A.; Kievit, Peter C.; Dieker, Hendrik-Jan; Veen, Gerrit; Karreman, Aart J.; Verheugt, Freek W.A.

doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2008.01.008

« Previous Next »American Heart Journal
Volume 155, Issue 6 , Pages 1039-1046, June 2008

Sustained coronary patency after fibrinolytic therapy as independent predictor of 10-year cardiac survival:

Observations from the Antithrombotics in the Prevention of Reocclusion in COronary Thrombolysis (APRICOT) trial

Marc A. Brouwer, MD, PhD
- Heartcenter, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Peter C. Kievit, MD
- Heartcenter, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Hendrik-Jan Dieker, MD
- Heartcenter, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Gerrit Veen, MD, PhD
- VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Aart J. Karreman, MSc
- VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Freek W.A. Verheugt, MD, PhD
- Heartcenter, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Reprint requests: Freek W. A. Verheugt, MD, PhD, Heartcenter, 670 Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Received 24 July 2007; accepted 15 January 2008. published online 10 March 2008.

Background

Whether late coronary patency after myocardial infarction has prognostic impact independent of left ventricular function remains a matter of debate. Reocclusion rates in the first year after fibrinolysis vary between 20% and 30%. Of all reocclusions, about 30% present as clinical reinfarction, associated with a 2-fold–increased risk of mortality. The clinical impact of reocclusion that presents without reinfarction has not been studied; but an association has been demonstrated with impaired contractile recovery of left ventricular function, the strongest prognosticator of long-term outcome. We therefore studied the impact of 3-month coronary patency after successful fibrinolysis on 10-year cardiac survival.

Methods

In the APRICOT-1 trial, 248 ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients with an open infarct artery 24 hours after fibrinolysis had 3-month repeated angiography. Ten-year clinical follow-up was complete in 99.6%.

Results

The reocclusion rate was 29% (71/248). Of these reocclusions, 24% presented as clinical reinfarction (17/71). Cardiac survival at 10 years was 73% in patients with a reoccluded infarct artery and 88% in patients with sustained patency (P < .01). This difference was also present in patients in whom reocclusion was only detected as a result of systematic repeated angiography, that is, in the absence of reinfarction or ischemic symptoms between angiograms (70% vs 86%, P < .03). Multivariable analysis identified sustained patency at 3-month angiography as independent predictor of 10-year cardiac survival (hazard ratio 2.10, 95% CI 1.10-4.02) together with left ventricular ejection fraction.

Conclusions

Sustained infarct artery patency in the first 3 months after successful fibrinolysis is a strong predictor of 10-year cardiac survival, independent of left ventricular function. Notably, this also holds true when reocclusion occurs without signs of clinical reinfarction or recurrent ischemia. Therefore, future preventive strategies should also focus on “clinically silent” reocclusions. Additional studies on better antithrombotic regimens and the combination with a routine invasive strategy early after successful fibrinolysis are warranted.