How to reduce mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary interventions: cut the bleeding.

AbstractBackground:In-hospital mortality for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has declined thanks to a greater use of primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) associated with more effective antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs. In this regard, bivalirudin has been shown to decrease total and cardiac mortality as compared to unfractionated heparin (UFH).Objective:The primary purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the hypothesis that the reduction of in-hospital bleeding is the most plausible explanation for the improved survival of STEMI patients treated with bivalirudin during primary PCI. The secondary objective is to reconsider the prognostic significance of the radial access alone or in association with bivalirudin on the basis of the published data.Methods:We have done a comprehensive evaluation of the main and related publications of the HORIZONS-AMI trial in addition to an extensive research by Medline of randomized trials evaluating the prognostic impact of radial access as comp...