A 74-year-old man was hospitalized for a subacute MI. He presented 1 week prior to admission one episode of chest pain lasting 3 hours but he did not seek medical attention. The ECG at admission revealed deep Q waves and persisting ST-segment elevation in the anterior leads. The angiography showed a total occlusion of the proximal left anterior ascending coronary artery.
Which statement about the benefit of revascularization in this particular patient does apply?
A. PCI reduces the occurrence of deathPCI does not reduce the occurrence of death, reinfarction, or heart failure. The Occluded Artery Trial (OAT) study showed high rates of procedural success with PCI and sustained patency but no clinical benefit during an average 3-year follow-up with respect to death, reinfarction, or heart failure. There was, in fact, a trend toward excess nonfatal reinfarction when routine PCI was performed in stable patients who were found to have occlusion of the infarct-related artery 3 to 28 days after MI. A strategy of CABG was not tested in the OAT.