Primary PTCA versus thrombolytic therapy for acute MI

We conducted a quantitative review of 23 trials comparing primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction. Our review included data on short-term and long-term outcomes, a subgroup analysis of outcomes according to the type of thrombolytic therapy used, and a comparison of results from 10 early trials with those from 13 more recent trials. We found that primary PTCA is superior to thrombolytic therapy, and there were significantly fewer major adverse cardiac events in patients treated with primary angioplasty at short-term and long-term follow-up.