Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may been associated with high-er risk of cardiac events during this procedure. The goal of this study was to compare high dose atorvastatin therapy with low dose atorvastatin therapy 24 hours before PCI to a reduction in Peri- percutaneous coronary intervention myocardial infarction.
Methods: One hundred ninety patients with stable angina were enrolled in a randomiz-ed controlled clinical trial study. All patients received low dose atorvastatin. The patients scheduled for elective PCI were randomized to atorvastatin (80 mg/d, n=95) or placebo (n=95) within 24 hours before the procedure. Creatine kinase-MB, troponin I, and high sensitive C- reactive protein levels were measured at baseline and at 6 and 12 hours after the procedure. PCI related myocardial infarction was defined as increasing of Creatine kinase-MB or troponin I three times compared with values before procedure.
Results: Myocardial infarction was detected after coronary intervention in 4.2% of patients in the atorvastatin group and in 13.7% of those in the placebo group (P=0.022). Mean of changed levels of Creatine kinase-MB (0.7±0.5 versus 3.3±1.9 ng/mL, P<0.001), troponin I (0.1±0.2 versus 0.4±0.7 ng/mL, P=0.052) and hs-CRP (0.1±0.5 versus 1±0.9 ng/mL, P<0.001) were significantly lower in the statin than in the placebo group.
Conclusion: Pretreatment with high dose atorvastatin within 24 hours before elective percutaneous coronary intervention significantly reduces procedural myocardial infarct-tion in elective coronary intervention.