Thrombus aspiration during primary percutaneous coronary intervention improved outcome in patients with STEMI and a large thrombus burden

BACKGROUND: The benefit of thrombus aspiration (TA) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) to patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains controversial. This study aimed to assess TA's impact on the outcome and prognosis for patients with STEMI and a large thrombus burden during PPCI. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated consecutive patients with STEMI and a large thrombus burden (thrombolysis in myocardial infraction [TIMI] thrombus grade ≥4) who underwent conventional PPCI (n = 126) or PPCI + TA (n = 208) between February 2017 and January 2019. The procedure outcome and clinical prognosis were compared. RESULTS: Postprocedural vessel diameter was larger, and corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC) was lower in the PPCI + TA compared with the PPCI group. The proportion of postprocedural TIMI 3 flow was 83.3% in the PPC group and 94.2% in the PPCI+TA group. During the 12-month follow-up, no significant differences existed in the incidence of cardiac death, reinfarction, stent thrombosis, target vessel revascularization, or stroke. CONCLUSION: Application of TA in patients with STEMI and a large thrombus burden during PPCI may improve the procedural outcome, but it showed no benefit on the clinical prognosis in the 12-month follow-up. Longer follow-up studies are needed to confirm TA's clinical implications in patients with STEMI.