Arteriotomy closure device application following percutaneous coronary intervention may prevent bleeding complications in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The current study was performed to determine whether application of arteriotomy closure devices (ACDs) affect bleeding complications as compared to manual compression in patients with ST-elevated acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) who undergo primary or rescue percutaneous intervention (PCI). 314 consecutive cases of STEMI treated with PCI were retrospectively evaluated. Overall, 82.8% of patients received ACDs with total bleeding rate of 4.2% vs. 11.1% in patients who had manual compression, p=0.042. This difference in bleeding rates did not correlate with any clinical characteristic or utilization of GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors. Accordingly, ACDs can improve the acute results of PCI in STEMI patients.