Percutaneous coronary intervention versus thrombolysis: the definite management of st elevation myocardial infarction.

The management of an ST elevation myocardial infarction has undergone significant changes in the past few years. Fibrinolytic agents have become more and more clot specific increasing their efficacy. However, percutaneous coronary intervention, along with its adjuvant therapy (glycoprotein IIB/IIIA receptor inhibitors and clopidrogel), have come to challenge fibrinolytic use. Many studies have demonstrated the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention as compared to fibrinolysis in the management of acute myocardial infarction by decreasing infarct size, myocardial function loss, and mortality.