Outcome of patients with acute myocardial infarction who are ineligible for primary angioplasty trials

We determined acute outcome in 148 consecutive patients with Si segment ele vation myocardial infarction undergoing angioplasty including 72 patients ( 48.7%) considered ineligible for primary angioplasty trials. Overall, in-ho spital mortality for acute infarct angioplasty was 12%, with fivefold highe r mortality in the trial-ineligible group (21% vs. 4%, P = 0.003). Thus, pr imary angioplasty trials continue to exclude nearly 50% of acute infarction patients and reported mortality rates of primary angioplasty trials are li kely to be significantly lower than the unselected in-hospital mortality ra tes. (C) 2000-Liss, Inc.