Excimer laser in myocardial infarction: a comparison between STEMI patients with established Q-wave versus patients with non-STEMI (non-Q)

Patients sustaining acute myocardial infarction (AMI) often require urgent percutaneous revascularization within the first 24 h from onset of the infarction due to continuous ischemia and hemodynamic instability. Upon arrival to the cardiac catheterization, the electrocardiogram of AMI patients may exhibit acute ST-elevation (STEMI) with or without accompanying Q-wave or depression of the ST segment (non-STEMI or non-Q-wave infarction). Data comparing acute outcome of device application in patients presenting for urgent revascularization with established Q-wave myocardial infarction (QWMI) versus those with non-STEMI (NQMI) are sparse. Excimer laser is a revascularization modality applied for debulking of atherosclerotic plaque and vaporization of associated thrombus in the setting of AMI. One hundred fifty-one AMI patients with continuous chest pain and ischemia who enrolled into a multicenter study and underwent urgent revascularization were divided for the purpose of a retrospective analysis into two groups. One group presented with established electrocardiographic Q-wave, whereas the other had ST-depression (NQMI). In comparison with the NQMI group, the QWMI patients had a higher incidence of failed thrombolytic therapy (17% vs 3, p = 0.006), cardiogenic shock (20 vs 6%, p = 0.01), left anterior descending as a culprit infarct-related vessel (46 vs 14%, p < 0.0001), a higher incidence of TIMI 0 flow (48 vs 24%, p = 0.04), a heavier thrombus burden (grade 4 TIMI thrombus, 58 vs 23%; p = 0.0001), and higher CPK (1272 ± 2180 vs 404 ± 577, p = 0.001) and troponin levels (62 ± 95 vs 14 ± 48, p = 0.0003). Both groups underwent laser angioplasty and stenting for relief of continuous chest pain and ischemia within 24 h of infarction onset. Quantitative coronary arteriography in an independent core laboratory measured similar improvement in baseline minimal luminal diameter and percent diameter stenosis by application of laser energy in both groups. Among the QWMI patients, a significantly higher acute gain was recorded with the laser treatment in lesions containing a large/extensive thrombus burden as compared with lesions containing only a small clot burden (1.2 ± 0.7 vs 0.8 ± 0.5, p = 0.01). Such a phenomenon was not detected among the NQMI patients (1.0 ± 0.5 vs 0.8 ± 0.6, p=ns). Baseline TIMI flow grade (0.9 ± 1.0 for QWMI vs 1.5 ± 1.2 for NQMI, p = 0.0001) increased with laser emission to 2.8 ± 0.5 and subsequently reached a final level of TIMI 3 in both groups. In comparison with the QWMI patients, there was a trend toward a reduced rate of major adverse coronary events among the NQMI patients (12% QWMI vs 4% NQMI, p = 0.09). Significant differences in baseline clinical characteristics, extent of myocardial damage, location of infarct related vessel, thrombus burden, and TIMI flow exist between QWMI and NQMI patients who require urgent intervention. However, application of excimer laser results in similar high procedural success and low complication rates in both groups. Maximal acute laser gain is achieved among QWMI patients whose lesions are laden with a heavy thrombus burden.