[Comparative study of balloon dilatation and stent placement in primary angioplasty].

Objective: To communicate our results with primary angioplasty (PA) and stenting de novo in acute myocardial infarction.

Material and methods: 163 patients (pts) had clinical diagnosis of MI with an average onset time of symptoms of 2.5 hours. They were divided in two groups: 100 pts with PA using only balloon (group I) and 63 pts with primary stenting (group II) (63 pts with 85 stents). A high pressure technique (14-16 atm) was used in group II and all pts were on salicylic acid and ticlopidine. Both groups were compared.

Results: Clinical characteristics, infarct location and infarct related-artery were similar, being left anterior descending the more frequently vessel involved. Clinical success rate was higher in group II (97% vs 87%) and complication rate was threefold higher in group I (9% vs 3%). A mean follow up of 57 months in group I showed a 21% clinical and/or angiographic restenosis rate, while the 12 months follow up in group II failed to show any case of restenosis at all.

Conclusions: The use of stents in PA improves the results achieved with balloon procedures. There is a greater success rate, less complications and better survival patients who had the procedure while being in cardiogenic shock.