Revascularization strategies in patients with STEMI: Culprit-only vs multivessel revascularization using percutaneous coronary intervention

Background. Approximately 50% of patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have multivessel coronary disease (MVD). Evidence on the best PCI approach for these patients is conflicting. The aim of this study is to examine Australian data from the CONCORDANCE registry to describe the practice and outcomes of patients receiving multivessel vs culprit-only PCI. Methods. Two cohorts were constructed from MVD-STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI at 41 hospitals between 2009 and 2015: culprit-only PCI (n = 587; 87%) and multivessel PCI (n = 82; 12%). Clinical characteristics were described, and the outcomes were all-cause mortality, heart failure, and myocardial reinfarction, in-hospital and at 6-month follow-up. The relative prevalence of each procedure over time was also described. Results. The patient cohorts were comparable in age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors. Patients with higher Killip scores were more likely to receive multivessel PCI (P=.02). The multivessel group was significantly more likely to have in-hospital cardiogenic shock (P<.01), myocardial reinfarction (P=.02), cardiac arrest (P=.02), and stroke (P=.01). There was no difference in the incidence of ischemic events at 6 months, but the multivessel group had a lower rate of planned repeat revascularizations (12% vs 2%; P=.03). There was no difference in the relative frequency of multivessel vs culprit-only PCI during the observation period. Conclusions. The relative frequency of multivessel vs culprit-only PCI has not changed from 2009-2015. Index complete revascularization for STEMI-MVD patients is more likely to be performed in those with worse presentations and is associated with worse in-hospital complications.