Angiographic predictors of outcome in myocardial infarction patients presenting with cardiogenic shock: a CULPRIT-SHOCK angiographic substudy

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic impact of preand post-PCI TIMI flow grade and TIMI myocardial perfusion grade (TMPG) in a well-defined group of patients with cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction. Methods and results: Patients with infarct-related cardiogenic shock randomised into the CULPRIT SHOCK trial were included in the angiographic predictor analysis whenever their TIMI flow grade or TMPG was available in the core lab database (96.9% of cases). A multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusted on non-angiographic covariates, was performed to investigate whether TIMI flow grade or TMPG was independently associated with all-cause mortality or renal replacement therapy up to one year. Pre-PCI TIMI flow grade and TMPG did not impact on mortality. When analysed in separate multivariable models, post-PCI TIMI 3 flow and TMPG grade 3 were both significantly associated with reduced risk of 30-day mortality: aOR 0.61 (95% CI: 0.38-0.97, p=0.037) and 0.46 (95% CI: 0.29-0.72, p<0.001), respectively. When considered in the same multivariable model, only TMPG was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (aOR 0.38 [0.20-0.71], p=0.002), the 30-day composite of all-cause mortality and renal replacement therapy (aOR 0.34 [0.18-0.66], p=0.001) and mortality at one-year follow-up (aOR 0.46 [0.24-0.88], p=0.02). Conclusions: Post-PCI TIMI flow grade and TMPG are associated with mortality after PCI. TMPG is a better discriminator, supporting microcirculation rather than epicardial reperfusion for prognosis estimation.