Incidence and clinical impact of concurrent chronic total occlusion according to gender in ST‐Elevation myocardial infarction

Objectives To determine the prevalence of a concurrent CTO in men and women and to examine its impact on mortality. Background The impact of chronic total occlusion (CTO) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) according to gender has not been assessed. Methods Patients referred with STEMI were categorized into single vessel disease (SVD), multivessel disease (MVD) without, with 1 or > 1 CTO. The primary end-point was the 1-year mortality. Results Among the 2020 STEMI patients included between 2006 and 2011, 24% were female. Women were older, had more hypertension and renal failure (P 1 concurrent CTO was similar in both sexes, 7 and 1%, respectively. Early and late mortality was significantly higher in women compared with men (P 1 CTO (100%) and with 1 CTO (36.4%) compared with those with MVD without CTO (18.4%) or with SVD (10.4%) (P < 0.0001). MVD with and without concurrent CTO were both independent predictors of 1-year mortality in women (HR 3.58; 95 % CI 1.69–7.18 and HR 2.76; 95 % CI 1.33–5.51) whereas only MVD with CTO was predictive in men (HR 2.19; 95% CI 1.20–3.97). Conclusions Among unselected STEMI patients, the prevalence of CTO was equal in both sexes whereas early and late mortality remained significantly higher in women. Other factors than the presence of a concurrent CTO must be explored to explain differences in survival after STEMI between women and men. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.