Primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for Acute Myocardial Infarction in patients not included in randomized studies

Abstract Patients with acute myocardial infarction included in randomized trials comparing primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (pPTCA) with thrombolysis represent a special subgroup of patients with a low event rate. Patients excluded from these trials represent a variety of different subgroups, with different patient characteristics and possibly different clinical event rates. Primary PTCA was performed in 491 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction in the prospective multicenter observational Maximal Individual Therapy in Acute Myocardial Infarction trial. They were divided into the following groups: group I, patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria of t…