Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Intervening Vascular Remodeling after Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty

Interventional therapy of coronary heart disease (CHD) includes percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), stent implantation etc. Owing to its revascularization without cardiac surgery, it has been the main effective method in treating CHD. But at the same time, there exists the problem of restenosis (RS). After PTCA, RS

PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY ITS SUCCESS RATE AND AFFECTING FACTORS

From December 1987 to October 1983, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed in 302 patients with 392 diseased vessels and 440 lesions. The success rate was 93.71% in 302 patients, 94.90% in 392 diseased vessels and 95.00% in 440 lesions. The success rate was 98.92% in Type A lesion, 95.71% in Type B lesion, and 86.57% in Type C lesion (A vs B P=NS, A vs C P<0.01). There were 55 lesions with total or subtotal occlusion, the success rate was 89.09% (93.10% in Type B lesion and 84.62% in Type C lesion). As to the diseased vessels, the success rate was 95.65% in LAD, 94.38% in LCX and 93.75% in RCA. The results showed no significant difference. In this series, acute ischemic complications were found in 6.59% (29 / 440). Of these 29 lesions, 23 were treated successfully, 5 developed Q wave myocardial infarction and 1 died.

Illness Perception, Treatment Adherence and Coping in Persons with Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Angioplasty

Background and Objective: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of sudden death. In this article, we compared patients’ illness perception (IP), treatment adherence and coping mechanisms of patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Methods: In this descriptive, prospective observational study IP, treatment adherence and coping of 140 patients were evaluated pre-PTCA, at the time of hospital discharge and 1 to 3 months post-PTCA by Illness Perception Questionnaire, Morisky Treatment Adherence and Carver’s brief COPE questionnaires. Results: 1 - 3 months post-PTCA, all dimensions of IP changed significantly except personal and treatment control. Adherence scores decreased simultaneously. With respect to coping mechanisms, all increased except behavioral disengagement, emotional support, instrumental support and religion which decreased significantly post-PTCA. Conclusions: In Overall, an improved IP and increased use of controllable causal attributions led to an increase in medication adherence and adaptive coping strategies. Post-treatment health behaviors are predictable by assessing patients’ illness-related beliefs beforehand.

Direct Coronary Intervention Therapy in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Objective To introduce the initial experience of direct percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty(PTCA) and intracoronary stenting in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI) from October 1998 to November 2001 in our hospital. Methods Primary PTCA was performed in 38 patients with acute myocardial infarction.29 cases were 20 male and 9 female, ranging in age from 30 to 76 old years.23 cases had anterior and 15 had inferior wall infarction. The patients we chose for direct coronary intervention therapy had stable hemodynamics. Of the 38 infarct related arteries (IRA), 23 were left anterior descend arteries (LAD), 4 left circumflex (LCX) and 11 right coronary arteries (RCA). 33 IRA were TIMI 0 flow and 5 TIMI 1 flow. The indications for coronary stent implantation were: ① Acute reocclusion and high risk of reocclusion due to initial dissection after PTCA; ② Severe residual stenosis (stenosis of diameter≥50%) after repeated balloon dilation; ③ No response to recurrent infusions of Nitroglycerin in Obviously elastic recoil. Results Of the 38 patients with AMI, PTCA was successful in 35 Two patients were given up because 014 guide wire entered into false lumen. One was selected for emergency coronary artery bypass graft because of LAD infarct related artery accompanied by 70%stenosis of left main. 35 intracoronary stents were implanted.16 patients were followed up, of whom 2 patients had restenosis and were successful in the second attempt. Conclusion Direct PTCA and stent implantation are effective and safe means of treatment for AMI and stent implantation can prevent and cure the acute reocclusion after PTCA.

PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL EXCIMER LASER CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY CLINICAL REPORT OF SIX CASES

Six patients with 95% to 100% occluded atheroseleroticlesions underwent percutaneous transluminal excimer lasercoronary angioplasty (PTELCA). Among them, 5 were maleand ! was female; their age ranged from 28 to 66 years. Fourpatients had LAD stenosis and 2 LCX lesions.Acuteangiographic and clinical success was achieved in all patientsbut one, with a success rate Of 83.3%. It was demonstratedthat PTELCA is a safe and effective therapy for selected pa-tients with coronary artery disease.

Plaque increase may be an important contributor to late restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary balloon angioplasty

There is considerable controversy over the mechanism of restenosis after percutaneous balloon angioplasty (PTCA). Vessel remodeling and plaque increase are among the possible contributors but angiography is methodologically limited since it can not differentiate these different mechanisms. For evaluating the contribution of vessel and plaque changes after PTCA, we analyzed serial intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) studies in 59 lesions. IVUS study (3.5 F, 20 MHz catheter, Boston Scientific Co,; Hewlett Packard console) was performed immediately after PTCA (POST), and at follow up (FU, 6±1 months). At follow up, 40 lesions (Group Ⅰ) did not show restenosis and 19 (32.2%) lesions (Group Ⅱ) developed restenosis (area Department of Cardiology, University of Essen, Essen, Germany (Liu FQ, Ge JB, Baumgart D, Grge G, Haude M and Erbel R) stenosis >50%). Cross sectional vessel area (VA, mm 2), plaque area (PA, mm 2), and percent area stenosis (A%) were measured. [BHDFG1*2,WK3,WK5,WK11,WK11W]GROUP Ⅰ (±s)GROUP Ⅱ (±s) [BHDZ,WK3ZQ,WK5ZQ,WK11,WK11ZQ2W]VAPOST18.1±4.919.1±5.6FU17.7±4.618.9±6.2PAPOST9.9±3.212.0±4.7 *FU10.2±3.415.4±5.0 * A%POST55.6±7.568.4±6.3 *FU58.4±8.781.6±3.4 * * P <0.05, Group I vs Group II. In summary, plaque increase contributed significantly to late restenosis. This may be partly due to “recovery” of the plaque from redistribution (induced by balloon compression) and/or partly due to intimal proliferation. Greater residual plaque burden was also related to higher possibility of rstenosis.

Clinical Study on The rapeutic Mechanism of Sini Decoction (四逆汤) in Treating Post-Percutane ous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty Ische mia-Reperfusion In jury in Terms of Syndrome Typing of TCM

Objective: To study the mechanism of Sini Decoction (SND) in prevention and treatment of post-percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) ischemia-reperfusion injury with different Syndrome typing of TCM.Methods: Forty patients who received PTCA were randomly divided equally into the SND group and the control group, there were 10 of Excess Syndrome (ES) and 10 of Deficiency Syndrome (DS)in each group.25 ml SND was gi ven daily to the SND group from 3 days before operation to the third day after operation. The blood superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) content of patients were determined before PTCA, and 1 hr, 12 hrs, 24 hrs, 48 hrs and 72 hrs after PTCA. Results: Before PTCA, the cases with DS were characterized by low SOD activity and high MDA content, as compared with the patients with ES, P<0.05. SND could relieve the post-PTCA deprivation of SOD activity and NO content and the elevation of MDA level in both ES and DS patients, the amplitude of elevation of SOD activity in DS patients was higher than that in ES patients (P<0.05). Conclusion: SND has antagonizing effect on post-PTCA ischemia-reperfusion injury, which is more effective in treating patients with DS.

Study on Influence of Sini Decoction (四逆汤) on Quality of Life of Patients after Percutane ous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty

Objective: To determine the influence of Sini Decoction (SND) on quality of life(QOL) of patients after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Methods: Randomized case-control clinical trial was conducted to evaluate QOL of 40 post-PTCA patients before and after SND treatment by scoring. Results: The scores in physical symptoms, sense of well-being, degree of depression, index of satisfaction of life and work capacity of the patients after PTCA were improved significantly as compared with before PTCA, P<0.01. Scores of patients who received SND treatment were higher than those untreated with SND in the first three criteria, P<0.05, particularly in relieving palpitation and dyspnea. Conclusion: SND is helpful in improving QOL of patients after PTCA.

Successful percutaneous coronary intervention reduces plasma concentration of NT-proBNP in patients with coronary heart disease and normal ventricular function

Background To the effect of percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） on plasma level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） in patients with coronary heart disease （CHD） and normal left ventricular function. Methods One hundred and five patients with CHD and normal ventricular function were enrolled. Blood samples for assessment of NT-proBNP and cTn-T were collected before and after PCI. Results The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 60.3 ± 5.3%. After revascularization, the level of lgNT-proBNP was signifi-cantly reduced （2.40 ± 0.44 vs 2.23± 0.43, P 〈 0.001）. Subgroup analysis showed that the level of lgNT-proB-NP ws consistently decreased in different clinical classifications （stable angina： 45, unstable angina： 31 and acute myocardial infarction： 29） and target-vessel revascularization （left anterior descending artery： 30, left cir-cumflex artery： 26 and right coronary artery： 49）, and in 99 patients without elevation of post-procedural cTn- T, but it showed a trend of non-significant increase in 6 patients with elevated cTn-T. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that successful PCI reduces plasma NT-proBNP concentration in patients with CHD and normal ven-tricular function. This implicates that the impact of PCI should be considered in the interpretation of NT-proBNP change in clinical practice, and further studies are necessary to investigate the direct and/or indirect effect of myocardial ischemia on BNP/NT-proBNP.

Effects of upstream tirofiban versus downstream tirofiban on myocardial damage and 180-day clinical outcomes in high-risk acute coronary syndromes patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions

Background For patients with moderate to high-risk acute coronary syndromes （ACS） who undergo early, invasive treatment strategies, current guidelines recommend the usage of glycoprotein （GP） lib/Ilia inhibitors as an upstream treatment for a coronary care unit or as an downstream provisional treatment for selected patients who are undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. The relative advantage of either strategy is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of upstream tirofiban versus the effects of downstream tirofiban on myocardial damage and 180-day major adverse cardiovascular events （MACE） after PCI in high-risk non-ST-segment elevation ACS （NSTE-ACS） undergoing PCI. Methods From July 2006 to July 2007, 160 high-risk NSTE-ACS undergoing PCI were randomized to receive upstream （within 4-6 hours before coronary angiography） tirofiban or downstream （the guidewire crossing the lesion） tirofiban, to evaluate the extent of myocardial damage after PCI by quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing the value of cardiac troponin I （cTnl） as well as MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase （CK-MB） before and after PCI. The incidences of 24-hour, 3-day, 7-day, 30-day and 180-day MACE after PCI were followed up and the rates of bleeding complications and thrombocytopenia during tirofiban administration were recorded. Results The peak release and cumulative release of cTnl levels within 48 hours after PCI were significantly lower with upstream tirofiban than downstream tirofiban （0.45 vs 0.63 and 0.32 vs 0.43, respectively; P 〈0.05）. Post-procedural cTnl elevation within 48 hours was significantly less frequent among patients who received the upstream tirofiban than those who received the downstream tirofiban （66.3% vs 87.5%, P 〈0.05）. The peak and cumulative release of CK-MB levels as well as post-procedural CK-MB elevation within 48 hours after PCI were not significantly different between the two groups （16 vs 14,5 vs 3 and 26.3% vs 36.3%, respectively; P 〉0.05）. The incidences of 24-hour, 3-day, and 7-day MACE after PCI were the same between the two groups （0 vs 0, 0 vs 0 and 1.25% vs 1.25%, respectively）. Although the incidences of 30-day and 180-day MACE after PCI were not statisticially different between the two groups, the incidences were consistently lower with upstream tirofiban （3.75% vs 6.25% and 12.99% vs 16.67%; P 〉0.05）. Aging （OR=1.164, P 〈0.001）, hypertension （OR=4.165, P=0.037） and type 2 diabetes （OR=13.628, P 〈0.001） were independent risk factors of MACE. The timing of administrating the tirofiban （OR=2.416, P=-0.153） plays an extensive role in the incidence of MACE. The incidences of major and minor bleeding complications as well as mild thrombocytopenia during the administration of tirofiban were similar between the two groups （2.50% vs 1.25%, 1.25% vs 1.25% and 1.25% vs 1.25%, respectively; P 〉0.05）. Conclusions Based on the pretreatment with aspirin and clopidogrel, upstream tirofiban was associated with attenuated minor myocardial damage and the tendency of reducing incidences of 180-day MACE after PCI among high-risk NSTE-ACS patients undergoing PCI. Aging, hypertension and type 2 diabetes were independent risk factors of MACE in high-risk NSTE-ACS patients undergoing PCI associated with tirofiban.

Predictive value of postprocedural leukocyte count on myocardial perfusion, left ventricular function and clinical outcomes in ST-elevated myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention

Background Baseline white blood cell （WBC） count was correlated with ischemic events occurrence in patients with ST-elevated myocardial infarction （STEMI）. However, circulating WBC count is altered after percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between postprocedural WBC count and clinical outcomes in STEMI patients who underwent PCI. Methods A total of 242 consecutive acute STEMI patients who underwent successful primary PCI were enrolled and followed up for two years. WBC counts were measured within 12 hours after PCI. ST-segment resolution （ST-R） and myocardial blush grades （MBG） were evaluated immediately after PCI. Left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） was obtained at baseline and 12-18 months after PCI. Results Postprocedural WBC count was an independent inverse predictor of ST-R （OR 0.80, P 〈0.0001） and MBG 3 （OR 0.82, P 〈0.0001）. It was negatively correlated with LVEF （baseline r=0.22, P=0.001; 12-18 months r=0.29, P 〈0.0001）. The best cutoff value of WBC for predicting death was determined to be 13.0×10^9/L. The patients with a postprocedural WBC count above 13.0×10^9/L showed a significantly lower cumulative survival rate （30 days, 82.4% vs. 99.0%, P 〈0.0001 and 2 years 75.0% vs. 96.4%, P 〈0.0001）. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that a postprocedural WBC count was a strong independent predictor of 30-day mortality （HR 8.48, P=0.019） and 2-year mortality （HR 4.93, P=0.009）. Conclusions Increased postprocedural WBC count is correlated with myocardial malperfusion and left ventricular dysfunction, and is an independent predictor of poor clinical outcomes in STEMI patients who underwent PCI.

Treatment of in stent coronary restenosis with excimer laser angioplasty

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) with adjunctive balloon angioplasty in patient with in-stent restenosis. METHODS: ELCA was performed in 20 patients of instent restenosis. All patients were symptomatic and had class III-IV angina. ELCA was performed with the Spectranetics CVX-300 System. The laser catheter of Vittesse C (concentric) and E (eccentric) with diameter of 1.4-2.0 mm was used. RESULTS: Laser catheter crossed all stenotic stents without difficulty. The lesion length was 4.6-51.2 mm, mean 20.7 +/- 13.7 mm, including 14 lesions > 10 mm. Laser treatment alone increased minimal lumen diameter (MLD) from 0.3 +/- 0.3 mm to 1.4 +/- 0.3 mm (P

Long-term outcomes of drug-eluting versus bare-metal stent implantation in patients with chronic total coronary artery occlusions

Background There are limited data on the efficacy of drug-eluting stents （DES） for treatment of chronic total occlusions （CTO）. The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of DES implantation for CTO compared with bare-metal stent （BMS） implantation.Methods Between June 1995 and December 2006, a total of 1184 patients with successful recanalization of at least one de novo CTO lesion were consecutively registered, including 660 （55.7%） who underwent DES and 524 （44.3%） who underwent BMS implantation. All patients were followed up for up to 5 years for occurrence of major adverse cardiac events （MACE）. Long-term survival rates were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method.Results Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were comparable between the two groups except that patients in the DES group received longer dual antiplatelet therapy （（7.4±2.5） months vs （1.7±0.8） months, P 〈0.001）. Average follow-up periods were （4.7±0.89） and （3.2±1.3） years for the BMS and DES groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in 5-year survival rates between the two groups （90.3% for DES group vs 89.6% for BMS group, Log-rank P=0.38）, but the 5-year target vessel revascularization （TVR）-free survival rate in the DES group was significantly higher than that in the BMS group （81.6% vs 73.5%, Log-rank P 〈0.001）. The cumulative MACE-free survival in the DES group was also significantly higher than that in the BMS group （80.6% vs 71.5%, Log-rank P〈0.001）. The rates of readmission caused by cardiovascular disease （27.0% vs 37.8%, P 〈0.001） and the need for bypass surgery were significantly lower in the DES group （1.5% vs 3.4%, P 〈0.05）. By multivariable analysis, DES implantation could significantly lower the long-term MACE risk of PCI for CTO patients （HR： 0.492; 95% Cl 0.396-0.656, P 〈0.001）. Left ventricular ejection fraction 〈50% and elderly （〉65 years） were identified as independent predictors of long-term MACE during follow-up.Conclusion This study demonstrates the long-term （up to 5 years） efficacy of DES for treatment of CTO, which is superior to BMS implantation in reducing the rates of TVR and MACE, as well as the need of re-admission and bypass surgery.

The influence of admission glucose on epicardial and microvascular flow after primary angioplasty

Background Patients with elevated admission glucose levels may be at increased risk of death after myocardial infarction, independent of other baseline risk factors and more severe coronary artery disease. However, data regarding admission glucose and epicardial and microvascular flow after primary angioplasty is limited. Methods Angioplasty was performed in 308 ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction patients. Patients were divided into 3 groups on the basis of admission glucose level： group 1, 〈7.8 mmol/L; group 2, （7.8 - 11.0） mmol/L; and group 3, ≥ 11.0 mmol/L. Results Compared with group 1, patients in group 2 and group 3 were more often female and older. Triglycerides （TG） in group 3 were significantly higher than group 1. At angiography, they more frequently had 2-vessel or 3-vessel disease. In the infarct-related artery, there was no relationship between hyperglycemia and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction （TIMI） 3 flow after percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） （89.7%, 86.0% and 86.3%, P=NS）. However, corrected TIMI frame count （CTFC） in group 2 and group 3 were more than group 1. TIMI myocardial perfusion grade （TMPG） 0-1 grade among patients with hyperglycemia after PCI were more frequent （30.9% and 29.0% vs 17.3%, P〈0.05）. There was less frequent complete ST-segment resolution （STR） and early T wave inversion among patients with hyperglycemia after PCI. Conclusion Elevated admission glucose levels in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients treated with primary PCI are independently associated with impaired microvascular flow. Abnormal microvascular flow may contribute at least in part to the poor outcomes observed in patients with elevated admission glucose.

A high maintenance dose of clopidogrel improves short-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing drug-eluting stent implantation

Background Recurrent ischemic events occurred even during routine use of 75 mg clopidogrel in addition to aspirin, that indicated a potentially insufficient maintenance dosage of clopidogrel. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of a 150 mg maintenance dose of clopidogrel following a 600 mg loading dose in patients with an acute coronary syndrome （ACS） undergoing drug eluting stent （DES） implantation. Methods Between November 2005 and November 2006, a total of 813 consecutive ACS patients undergoing DES implantation were enrolled. A 600 mg loading dose was administered before percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） and patients were randomized to receive clopidogrel 75 mg or 150 mg for 30 days in addition to 300 mg aspirin daily. Primary end points were the composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction （MI） and urgent target vessel revascularization （UTVR）. Secondary end points included stent thrombosis （ST）, major and minor bleeding events at 30 days. Results At a follow-up period of 30 days, 4 （1.0%） patients in the 150 mg group and 9 （2.2%） patients in the 75 mg group （P 〉0.05） reached the primary end points. There was no significant difference in the incidences of MI （0.5% vs 1.2%, P〉0.05）, UTVR （0.7% vs 2.0%, P 〉0.05）, and cardiac death （0.2% vs 0.2%, P 〉0.05） between the two groups. The incidence of ST （0 vs 1.5%, P 〈0.05） was significantly lower in the 150 mg group than that in the 75 mg group. There were no significant differences between both groups regarding the risk of major （0.2% vs 0, P 〉0.05） or minor （0.5% vs 0.2%, P 〉0.05） bleedings. Conclusion A high clopidogrel maintenance dose of 150 mg daily following a 600 mg loading dose for the first month after PCI procedure reduces the risk of ST and appears to be safe in patients with ACS undergoing DES implantation.

Long-term efficacy and safety of drug-eluting stent implantation for patients with multiple coronary chronic total occlusions

Background Data on the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting stent （DES） for treatment of multiple coronary chronic total occlusion （CTO） lesions are scanty. The aim of the present study was to compare the long-term outcomes of DES versus bare metal stent （BMS） implantation for multiple coronary CTO lesions.Methods We analyzed 188 patients who underwent coronary stenting for at least two de novo CTO lesions in our center from November 2000 to November 2006. Among them, 118 patients （62.8%） received DES and 70 patients （37.2%） received BMS implantation after the recanalization for CTO lesions. All patients were followed up for up to 5 years for the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events （MACE）. Long-term survival rates were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method.Results There were no significant differences in baseline clinical characteristics and procedural success rate between DES group and BMS group. Compared with the BMS group, the DES group showed a significantly higher rate of long CTO （≥15 mm） （62.0% vs. 50.6%, P=0.023）. The number of stents per lesion （1.39±0.71 vs. 1.17±0.66, P=0.007） and the mean length of stents in the DES group were also higher than those in the BMS group （（40.8±11.4） mm vs. （23.4±8.7） mm, P〈0.001）. But the mean diameter of stents in the DES group was smaller than that in the BMS group （（3.1 ±0.2） mm vs. （3.3±0.5） mm, P〈0.001）. Average follow-up time was 4.8±0.7 （1.5-5.0） years in the BMS group and 4.3±0.5 （1.3-5.0） years in the DES group. Both the 5-year cumulative survival rates and the target vessel revascularization （TVR）-free survival rates of the DES group were significantly higher than those in the BMS group （83.1% vs. 72.9%, Log-rank P=0.044; 77.1% vs. 62.9%, Log-rank P=0.009）. The cumulative MACE-free survival rates in the DES group were significantly higher than those in the BMS group （71.2% vs. 51.4%, Log-rank P=0.001）. Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that DES implantation for multiple CTO lesions could significantly reduce the long-term MACE risk after percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） （HR. 0.436; 95%C/ 0.327-0.665, P 〈0.001）. Age over 65 years （HR. 2.018; 95%CI1.491-3.127, P〈0.001） and left ventricular ejection fraction 〈50% （HR. 1.494; 95%CI1.125-2.376, P 〈0.001） were identified as the independent predictors of long-term MACE.Conclusion This study demonstrates the long-term （up to 5 years） efficacy and safety of DES for treatment of multiple coronary CTO lesions, and its superiority compared to BMS in reducing the rates of TVR and MACE.

Who die after PCI: Re-assessment of in-hospital death cases

Background In-hospital （IH） mortality patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） in our center from 1994 to 2004 was 1.01% （33/3 252）. The PCI volume in our state increased quickly during the last few years, so did it in our center. Methods and Results We retrospectively screened a total of 3 274 eases who underwent PCI in 2009, among which 24 （0.73%, P = 0.22 vs. 1994-2004） IH death occurred. Analysis of these 24 eases revealed that all of them were diagnosed as acute coronary syndrome （ACS）, and had the indication of PCI. Fifteen （63%） carried a chance of ≥ 10% to die in hospital aeeording to GRACE model. Significant left-main （LM） and/or triple-vessel disease （TVD） were defined in 21 （88%） cases. SYNTAX scores were /〉 23 in 15 （63%） and ≥ 33 in 12 （50 %） cases. Complete revascularization with PCI was fulfilled in only 5 （21%） cases. Myocardial isehemia or heart function couldn＇ t improve by PCI was the most frequent cause of death, which contributed to that of 11 （46 %） cases. Cardiac rupture occurred in all of the 4 patients with ST elevated acute myocardial infarction （STE-AMI） involving inferior ventrieular wall but ＂reserved＂ anterior wall, and contributed mainly to their mortality. Conclusions Post-PCI IH mortality has maintained low in our center. It most likely occurs in patients with ACS. The major cause of death is that myocardial ischemia couldn＇t improve by PCI, except for patients with inferior but no anterior myocardial infarction, who suffer from cardiac rupture instead.