Procedural Variations in Performing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Multiple variations exist in performing a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) amongst various cardiologists. These variations range from the choice of peripheral access artery (radial vs. femoral), performance/time of complete angiography including left ventriculography (LVgraphy), and non-culprit vessel angiography prior to or after intervening on the culprit vessel. The reasons for such variations include; emphasis on door-to-balloon (DTB) time, knowledge of cardiac anatomy prior to proceeding with pPCI, physician expertise, and the level of comfort with radial approach.
Source: Current Problems in Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research