Background. Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) and hyperglycemia on admission have high rates of mortality (1). The management of hyperglycemic patients during STEMI is unclear. We evaluate whether the thrombus aspiration (TA) before primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may improve STEMI outcomes in hyperglycemic patients (2).

Research Design and Methods. Consecutive 990 hyperglycemic patients with first STEMI undergoing quantitative coronary angiography were studied. Patients were categorized in two groups, either treated by thrombus aspiration v/s patients treated without thrombus aspiration. After discharge from the hospital, all patients will be managed and followed quarterly for 12 months month after event, as outpatients, to perform clinical evaluation, routine analyses and cardiovascular evaluation. The cardiovascular endpoint collected in both cohorts will include cardiac mortality, all-cause mortality and hospitalization for coronary disease and heart failure.

Conclusions. We will attend improved outcomes in hyperglycemic patients treated by the TA before PCI, as compared to hyperglycemic patients treated only by PCI.

The data analyzed in this study will be obtained from hyperglycemic STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI at the Department of Cardiology of the Cardarelli Hospital in Naples Italy between June 1, 2016, and December 1, 2017. This will be a prospective study to compare two therapeutic strategies: PCI plus thrombus aspiration (TA) versus PCI alone in patients with STEMI and hyperglycemia. According to the recent statement by the American Heart Association, hyperglycemia will be defined as an admission plasma glucose level of >140 mg/dl. Inclusion criteria will include: age of 18 years or greater, presentation to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for PCI in the setting of first STEMI, admission plasma glucose level of >140 mg/dl. All STEMI patients will be referred to the cardiac catheterization laboratory within 12 h of presentation. Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction less than 25%, with previous myocardial infarction or previous PCI or/and coronary by-pass grafting, or had received fibrinolytic therapy will be excluded from the study. The following patients will be referred for urgent invasive diagnostics with the intention of performing PCI: symptom duration of 12 hours or less and ST-segment elevation of 0.1 mV or greater in at least 2 contiguous leads (≥0.2 mV in V1-V3) or presumed new-onset left bundle-branch block. The investigation will be conformed with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for use of human tissue or subjects. The Institutional Review Board will approve the protocol.

Outcomes The primary outcome of the THAITI study will be all-cause mortality, cardiovascular deaths, recurrent myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, and class IV heart failure within 360 days. Other outcomes will include target vessel revascularisation, stent thrombosis, stroke, and transient ischaemic attack within 360 days.

Inclusion Criteria:

- age of 18 years or greater, presentation to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for PCI in the setting of first STEMI, admission plasma glucose level ( >140 mg/dl in hyperglycemic Group).

Exclusion Criteria:

- patients with left ventricular ejection fraction less than 25%, with previous myocardial infarction or previous PCI or/and coronary by-pass grafting.

We will analyze the consecutive patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction and ST segment elevation (STEMI) admitted to the Department of Cardiology of the Cardarelli Hospital in Naples, Italy. Inclusion criteria will include: age of 18 years or greater, presentation to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for PCI in the setting of first STEMI, admission plasma glucose level ( >140 mg/dl in hyperglycemic Group). All STEMI patients will be referred to the cardiac catheterization laboratory within 12 h of presentation. Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction less than 25%, with previous myocardial infarction or previous PCI or/and coronary by-pass grafting will be excluded.

Monthly for 1 year