Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to determine the distribution of coronary collaterals (CC) as per the Rentrop Collateral Score (RCS) among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and its impact on in-hospital and 30-day mortality after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods

In this study, a selected sample of consecutive STEMI patients was assessed for the development of CC as per the RCS classification. An RCS grade of 2 or 3 was taken as the presence of CC with either partial or complete filling of the infarct-related artery (IRA). Patients were followed during the hospital stay and up to 30 days, and the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) was recorded, which included mortality, re-infarction, stroke, and hospitalization due to heart failure.

Results

This study was conducted on a sample of 347 patients; 81.6% (283) were male, and the mean age was 56.2 ± 10.3 years. CC was not visible (RCS-0) in 206 (59.4%) patients, visible but without filling of the IRA (RCS-1) in 39 (11.2%) patients, and visible with partial (RCS-2) and complete (RCS-3) filling of the IRA in 72 (20.7%) and 30 (8.6%) patients, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the incidence of in-hospital mortality and short-term MACE between patients with and without CC, with an in-hospital mortality rate of 2% vs. 4.9% (p = 0.248) and a MACE rate of 7% vs. 6.4% (p = 0.850), respectively.

Conclusion

Good CC with either partial or complete filling of the IRA was observed in more than one-fourth of the patients with STEMI. However, no significant benefits of good CC were observed.

MeSH

Mortality, Myocardial Infarction, Incidence, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Hospital Mortality, St Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Cited by

• A Systematic Review of risk factors for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with coronary heart disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Front Physiol, 2025