Effects of high-dose atorvastatin pretreatment in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: a cardiac magnetic resonance study.

It is uncertain that atorvastatin pretreatment can reduce myocardial damage in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of atorvastatin pretreatment on infarct size measured by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) in STEMI patients. Patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI within 12 hr after symptom onset were randomized to an atorvastatin group (n=30, 80 mg before PCI and for 5 days after PCI) or a control group (n=37, 10 mg daily after PCI). The primary end point was infarct size evaluated as the volume of delayed hyperenhancement by CE-MRI within 14 days after the index event. The median infarct size was 19% (IQR 11.1%-31.4%) in the atorvastatin group vs. 16.3% (7.2%-27.2%) in the control group (P=0.27). The myocardial salvage index (37.1% [26.9%-58.7%] vs. 46.9% [39.9-52.4], P=0.46) and area of microvascular obstruction (1.1% [0%-2.0%] vs. 0.7% [0%-1.8%], P=0.37) did not differ significantly between the groups. Frequency of the hemorrhagic and transmural infarctions was not significantly different in the 2 groups. Pretreatment with a high-dose atorvastatin followed by further treatment for 5 days in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI failed to reduce the extent of myocardial damage or improve myocardial salvage.