Effect of trimetazidine on myocardial salvage index in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary PCI

Introduction: Acute STEMI is the most serious presentation of CAD. Restoration of the coronary flow facilitates cardiomyocyte salvage and decreases cardiac morbidity and mortality. However, reperfusion may result in paradoxical cardiomyocyte dysfunction, a phenomenon termed reperfusion injury. Trimetazidine is a metabolic anti-ischemic drug which is beneficial in reducing periprocedural myocardial reperfusion injury. The aim of the work is to study the effect of trimetazidine on myocardial salvage index in patients with acute STEMI who underwent primary PCI. Methods: Forty patients presented with acute STEMI, underwent primary PCI with injection of an intravenous dose of Tc-99m labeled Sestamibi before primary PCI then first set of SPECT images were taken within 6 h from injection time to assess the initial size of the perfusion defect. Prior to discharge the patients received another dose of Tc-99m labeled Sestamibi and follow up SPECT images were taken to assess the final perfusion defect and to calculate myocardial salvage and myocardial salvage index. Twenty patients of them received trimetazidine before primary PCI (study group) and the other twenty patients did not receive trimetazidine (control group). Results: (1) Patients with acute STEMI undergoing primary PCI who received trimetazidine before primary PCI had better myocardial salvage index, however it was statistically non significant. (2) Statistically significant better myocardial salvage index with post procedural TIMI 3 flow than with post procedural TIMI 2 flow among patients who received trimetazidine before primary PCI. Conclusion: In the presence of post procedural TIMI3 flow trimetazidine is beneficial in improving myocardial salvage index in patients presented with acute STEMI who underwent primary PCI

Initial T wave morphology in the chest leads in patients presenting with anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and its correlation with spontaneous reperfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery

Background: T wave inversion in leads with ST-segment elevation after reperfusion therapy is considered a sign of reperfusion. However, the significance of T wave inversion on presentation before the initiation of reperfusion therapy is unclear. Aim of the Work: The current study aimed to assess whether the initial T wave morphology in the electrocardiographic (ECG) at presentation can predict patency of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) in patients with acute anterior ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) before undergoing primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). Methods: This study included ninety patients who presented to the emergency department with acute anterior ST-elevation MI. We excluded patients with bundle branch block, postcoronary artery bypass grafting patients, patients with paced rhythm, and patients who received thrombolytic therapy. The T wave morphology in the 2 leads with maximal ST-segment elevation on the presenting ECG was identified as one of the three morphologies, positive T waves (T+; initial positive deflection ≥0.5 mm above the isoelectric line), biphasic T waves (T+/−; where the T wave initially showed a positive deflection above the ST segment afterward followed by a negative deflection ≥0.5 mm below the isoelectric line), and negative T waves (T−; where the T wave initially showed a negative deflection ≥0.5 mm below the isoelectric line without showing any initial positive deflection). Then, according to the results of the initial angiography, patients were classified into spontaneous reperfusion (SR) (those with thrombolysis in MI [TIMI] II or TIMI III flow in the infarct-related artery [IRA] prior to intervention) or non-SR (those with TIMI 0 or TIMI I flow in the IRA prior to intervention). Results: Ninety consecutive patients (77 males and 13 females) presented by STEMI and treated by primary PCI at cath lab of Ainshams University Hospitals (a 24/7 tertiary referral center for primary PCI) between January 2015 and March 2016 were included in this study, of which 40 patients (44.4%) had positive T waves (T+), 34 patients (37.8%) had negative T waves (T−), and 16 patients (17.8%) had biphasic T waves (T+/−). Initial angiogram showed that 18 patients had SR and 72 patients had no SR. With regard to T wave morphology, negative T waves were significantly present in SR group (66.7% vs. 30.6%, P = 0.004), whereas positive T waves were predominantly present in non-SR (50% vs. 22.2%, P = 0.033). Conclusions: For SR of LAD in anterior STEMI patients, prior to primary PCI, T wave inversion had a good sensitivity of 66.7%, a specificity of 69.4%, and a good negative predictive value of 89.29%