Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Spontaneous reperfusion (n=98) | Thrombolysis (n=1163) | Primary PTCA (n=102) | No reperfusion (n=1019) | p Value | |
| Age (years) (mean (SD)) | 63 (12) | 61 (12) | 60 (12) | 65 (13) | <0.0001 |
| Women | 29 (30%) | 263 (23%) | 19 (19%) | 297 (29%) | 0.001 |
| Medical history | |||||
| Myocardial infarction | 18 (18%) | 186 (16%) | 31 (30%) | 300 (29%) | <0.0001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 21 (21%) | 272 (23%) | 28 (27%) | 272 (27%) | 0.25 |
| Current smoking | 48 (49%) | 341 (43%) | 49 (48%) | 273 (27%) | <0.0001 |
| Hypertension | 44 (45%) | 405 (35%) | 34 (33%) | 493 (48%) | <0.0001 |
| Dyslipidaemia | 36 (37%) | 336 (29%) | 30 (29%) | 289 (28%) | 0.38 |
| Prior angina | 38(39%) | 436 (37%) | 39 (38%) | 411 (40%) | 0.60 |
| Angina 48 h before admission | 15 (15%) | 110 (9 %) | 10 (10%) | 89 (9%) | 0.21 |
| Previous medications | |||||
| β Blockers | 16 (16%) | 155 (13%) | 21 (21%) | 164 (16%) | 0.10 |
| Nitrates | 12 (12%) | 263 (23%) | 19 (19%) | 233 (23%) | 0.08 |
| Calcium channel blockers | 19 (19%) | 215 (19%) | 20 (20%) | 217 (21%) | 0.44 |
| Aspirin | 27 (28%) | 283 (24%) | 39 (38%) | 277 (27%) | 0.01 |
| ACE inhibitors | 16 (16%) | 117 (10%) | 10 (10%) | 175 (17%) | 0.0001 |
| Time (minutes) from symptom onset to emergency room admission (median (25th to 75th centiles)) | 136 (73–266) | 103 (60–175) | 108 (61–188) | 220 (105–516) | <0.0001 |
| Anterior AMI | 48 (50%) | 526 (47%) | 65 (64%) | 426 (45%) | 0.001 |
| Q wave AMI | 33 (37%) | 694 (65%) | 50 (53%) | 497 (51%) | 0.001 |
| Non-Q wave AMI | 56 (57%) | 373 (32%) | 44 (47%) | 422 (44%) | 0.001 |
| Aborted AMI* (CK <250 IU) | 23 (25%) | 73 (6%) | 7 (8%) | 113 (12%) | 0.001 |
| CK (IU) (median (25th to 75th centiles) | 503 (254–818) | 1384 (685–2599) | 1519 (774–3297) | 751 (420–1341) | <0.0001 |
| Heart failure on admission (Killip >1) | 7 (7%) | 187 (16%) | 37 (36%) | 282 (28%) | 0.001 |
| Admission heart rate (beats/min) (mean (SD)) | 75 (14) | 78 (18) | 86 (22) | 81 (20) | <0.0001 |
| Admission systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) (mean (SD)) | 138 (27) | 136 (24) | 128 (29) | 135 (27) | 0.02 |
*Missing data on creatine kinase (CK) in 4, 26, 10, and 53 patients in each group, respectively. ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; AMI, acute myocardial infarction; PTCA, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.