Relationship Between Residual Blood Flow in the Infarct-Related Artery and Scintigraphic Infarct Size, Myocardial Salvage, and Functional Recovery in Patients with Acute Myocardial

In patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) before primary coronary stenting with adjunct glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor blockade, whether residual blood flow in the infarct-related artery (IRA) affects infarct size or myocardial salvage is not known. Methods: This study included 118 patients with ST-segment elevation AMI who received coronary stenting plus abciximab. SPECT studies were performed before and 7–14 d after stenting. Results: Patients were divided into a group with initial Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade 1 (77 patients) and a group with initial TIMI flow grade 1 (41 patients). The initial median perfusion defect and (in brackets) the 25th and 75th percentiles were 29.1 % [21.0%; 52.0%] of the left ventricle in patients with TIMI flow grade 1, versus 16.5% [8.0%; 33.1%] of the left ventricle in patients with TIMI flow grade 1 (P 0.001). Baseline left ventricular ejection fractio