Changes of electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data after early and late mechanical recanalization of infarct-related artery with and without stent implantation

Eglė Kalinauskienė^{1, 2}, Albinas Naudžiūnas², Ramūnas Navickas¹, Laima Jankauskienė², Vidas Pilvinis³, Arnoldas Janavičius¹, Virginijus Grinius¹, Ramūnas Unikas¹

¹Institute of Cardiology, ²Department of Internal Medicine, ³Department of Intensive Care, Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania

Key words: electrocardiogram; myocardial infarction; coronary angioplasty.

Summary. Objective. To show differences in the changes of electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data after early and late mechanical recanalization of infarct related artery with and without stent implantation and to assess the value of QRS score in the follow-up period.

Material and methods. A total of 248 consecutive patients were divided into these groups: early angioplasty (≤24 hours) without stents (n=114) or with stents (n=6) and later (>24 hours) angioplasty without stents (n=114) or with stents (n=14). The changes in QRS score and echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction during the hospital and 3-month follow-up periods were compared between the groups.

Results. QRS score did not increase in a hospital in early or late angioplasty with stents groups, while in the groups without stents especially of early angioplasty increased (2.6±2.5 vs. 3.6±2.4, P=0.001). Left ventricular ejection fraction increased after 3 months only in early angioplasty groups especially with stents (30.0±3.5 vs. 38.4±5.2, P=0.008), but there were no significant differences between the QRS score at discharge and after 3 months (5.4±4.3 vs. 5.0±1.9).

Conclusions. Myocardial injury did not increase in a hospital in the cases of early or late angioplasty with stents, while in the cases without stents increased. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased after 3 months only in the cases of early angioplasty especially with the stent implantation, but the QRS score showed no differences, so the QRS score may be not predictive of improvement in ejection fraction at follow-up.

Correspondence to E. Kalinauskienė, Institute of Cardiology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Sukilėlių 17, 50161 Kaunas, Lithuania. E-mail: eglekalin@yahoo.com

Received 6 December 2006, accepted 3 September 2007