ABSTRACT
Over the past two decades, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has emerged as an effective method of treating ST elevation myocardial infarctions (MI). ST elevation MI most commonly results from the rupture of vulnerable plaque with subsequent thrombotic occlusion of an epicardial vessel (1). The rapid and complete restoration of forward flow within the coronary artery has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality (2,3). Initial approaches to restoring coronary patency relied on the administration of thrombolytic therapy, but much data has accumulated over the past 10 years to document the superiority of emergency angioplasty in the setting of acute ST elevation MI.
