These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: [Occurrence of arrhythmias related to treatment of myocardial infarction].
    Author: Christensen AH, Ribic D, Solheim S, Gjesdal K.
    Journal: Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen; 2008 Oct 09; 128(19):2163-6. PubMed ID: 18846137.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary catheter intervention (PCI) reduces mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) more than fibrinolysis. However, it remains uncertain whether PCI reduces the incidence of early post-infarction arrhythmias. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We compared the incidence of arrhythmias in two groups of consecutive STEMI-patients who underwent continuous ECG monitoring. One group was treated with PCI in 2006-07, while a historic control group received thrombolysis in 1996-98. RESULTS: 93 (38%) PCI patients and 97 (53%) of the thrombolysed patients (p = 0.001) had arrhythmias. 27% of the patients in the PCI group were treated for arrhythmias vs. 34% of the thrombolysed (n.s.). Significantly fewer PCI-treated patients had atrial fibrillation (5% vs. 16%), AV-block II/III (0% vs. 6%) and asystole (0% vs. 5%), but an increased frequency of ventricular tachycardia was recorded (10% vs. 5%). 41% of all arrhythmic and 63% of treated events occurred in the first hour after PCI; corresponding results for thrombolysis were 23% and 28% (p = 0.000). Mortality was greater in the thrombolysed group (11% vs. 2%, p = 0.006), but patients were older, had more risk factors and larger emit ions of cardiac enzymes. After adjustment for the confounding effects of age, gender, score for ST-elevation and infarct localization, there was still a reduction in total arrhythmias in the PCI-treated group (odds ratio 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.19-0.73, p = 0.004). INTERPRETATIONS: PCI-treatment seems to reduce early post-STEMI arrhythmias, but a non-randomized design and the use of historical controls, reduce the strength of this conclusion.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]