Statin administration before percutaneous coronary intervention: impact on periprocedural myocardial infarction

Aims Peri-procedural non-Q-wave myocardial infarction is a frequent and prognostically important complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It has been postulated that statins may reduce the rate of myocardial injury after PCI. Methods and Results Four hundred and fifty-one patients scheduled for elective PCI and not on statins were randomly assigned to either no treatment or to statin treatment. Statin administration was started at least 3 days before the procedure. Incidence of periprocedural myocardial injury was assessed by analysis of creatinine kinase myocardial isoenzyme (CK-MB: upper limit of normal [ULN] 3.5 ng/ml) and cardiac troponin I (cTn I, ULN 0.10 ng/ml) before, 6 and 12 h after the intervention. A large non-Q-wave myocardial infarction was defined as a CK-MB elevation >5 times ULN alone or associated with chest pain or ST segment or T wave abnormalities. Median CK-MB peak after PCI was 1.70 (interquartile ranges 1.10-3.70) ng/ml in the Statin group and 2.20 (1.30-5.60) ng/ml in the Control group (p = 0.015). Median peak of cTnI after PCI was 0.13 (0.05-0.45) ng/ml. in the Statin group and 0.21 (0.06-0.85) ng/ml in the Control group (p = 0.033). The incidence of a large non-Q-wave myocardial infarction was 8.0% in the Statin group and 15.6% in the Control group (p = 0.012: OR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.26-0.86). The incidence of cTnI elevation >5 times ULN was 23.5% in the Statin group and 32% in the Control group (p = 0.043: OR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.42-0.98). By logistic regression analysis, the independent predictors of CK-MB elevation >5 times ULN after PCI were intra-procedural angiographic complications (OR = 9.36; 95% CI = 3.06-28.64; p < 0.001), statin pre-treatment (OR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.13-0.86; p = 0.023) and age >65 years (OR = 2.58; 95% CI = 1.09-6.11; p = 0.031). Conclusions Pre-procedural statin therapy reduces the incidence of large non-Q-wave myocardial infarction after PCI. (C) 2004 The European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.