Aim
We aim to explore the factors influencing myocardial perfusion in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and evaluate the effects of different intervention strategies on myocardial perfusion improvement.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted on 300 patients with STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) at our hospital between January 2020 and December 2022. Based on post-procedural coronary angiography results using the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) blood flow grade and myocardial blush grade (MBG), patients were categorized into two groups: the normal perfusion group (TIMI grade 3 or MBG 2-3, n=180) and the impaired perfusion group (TIMI grades 0-2 or MBG 0-1, n=120). The impaired perfusion group was further divided using a random number table into the thrombus aspiration-only group (control group, n=60) and the thrombus aspiration combined with nicorandil group (nicorandil group, n=60). A 1:1 propensity score matching method was employed to adjust for baseline characteristics between the groups. Clinical characteristics, hematological parameters, coronary lesion features, and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) technical parameters were compared between the matched groups. Additionally, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors influencing myocardial perfusion. Furthermore, the post-procedural myocardial perfusion, cardiac function, and clinical prognosis were compared between the control and nicorandil groups.
Results
After matching, the baseline characteristics of the two groups were compared. The impaired perfusion group had older age, higher proportion of male patients, higher rates of diabetes and hypertension, longer time from symptom onset to balloon dilation, higher peak cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels, higher proportion of left main or multivessel involvement, heavier coronary lesion burden, and lower balloon inflation pressure (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age of ≥65 years (odds ratio {OR}=2.34, 95% confidence interval {CI}=1.23-4.46, P<0.01), time from symptom onset to balloon dilation of ≥6 hours (OR=3.12, 95% CI=1.67-5.83, P<0.01), peak cTnI level of ≥100 ng/mL (OR=4.27, 95% CI=2.18-8.36, P<0.01), left main or multivessel involvement (OR=2.86, 95% CI=1.51-5.41, P<0.01), and balloon inflation pressure of <8 atm (OR=3.45, 95% CI=1.79-6.65, P<0.01) were independent risk factors affecting myocardial perfusion. In the intervention analysis, the nicorandil group showed superior post-procedural TIMI blood flow grade, MBG, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification compared to the control group (P<0.05). During a six-month follow-up, the nicorandil group had a lower incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) compared to the control gro...