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CompletedNCT02732080Updated Mar 1, 2023

Gradual Versus Abrupt Reperfusion in Primary PCI (GUARD)

An interventional study of deferred coronary stenting and immediate stenting in ST-elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction, sponsored by Istanbul University. Completed at 2 sites in Turkey. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-03-01.

Sponsored by Istanbul University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 80 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

After reopening of the infarct related artery by primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PPCI), microvascular damage at the related myocardial territory is not terminated immediately. This ongoing nature of microvascular damage leading to myocardial malperfusion is related to final infarct size. However, time course of the microvascular impairment /obstruction after PPCI in patients presented with ST-elevating acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) is not known. Routine primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PPCI) for ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) includes balloon angioplasty (or thrombectomy) followed immediately by stent implantation. However, stent implantation performed in this thrombotic setting may lead to a further microvascular damage by causing more distal embolisation and by inducing distal microvascular spasm by stretching the coronary vessel wall. Furthermore, sudden exposure of distal microcirculation to a high distal intracoronary pressure achieved by immediate stent implantation may exaggerate myocardial oedema which contributes microvascular damage substantially by external compression. However, results of studies investigating the efficacy of delayed stenting (24-48 hours later) in patients in whom TIMI -3 flow was achieved after balloon angioplasty were inconsistent.

In this study, STEMI patients undergoing PPCI, in whom epicardial reperfusion was achieved (TIMI-3 flow) by wire crossing or by balloon angioplasty or aspiration thrombectomy, will be randomised to immediate and delayed stenting groups. Delayed stenting will be performed at the time when coronary auto regulation was recovered which is going to be determined based on the continuous intracoronary hemodynamic monitoring after reperfusion.

Read the detailed description

It was shown in ischemia/reperfusion models that after reopening of the occluded epicardial coronary artery, following initial hyperemic flow, myocardial blood flow in the area at risk rapidly and progressively declines and get stabilised approximately within 30 minutes.This finding implies that, in spite of the initial ischemic insult, coronary auto-regulation in the reperfused myocardial territory recovers. Nevertheless, this recovery requires some time after reperfusion was achieved. During total occlusion of an epicardial coronary artery, pre-arteriolar sphincters can be expected to be paralysed in widely open position in response to severely increased distal myocardial demand. Ischemic myocyte damage also contributes to malfunctioned pre-arteriolar sphincters. Therefore, full restoration of perfusion pressure distal to the infarct related artery by immediate stenting (direct or after angioplasty) may then fail to induce an immediate adaptive autoregulatory response (compensatory vasoconstriction) in the related microvascular territory, resulting in an inappropriately increased pressure in the damaged microcirculation. During total epicardial occlusion, ischemia/hypoxia induced damage and increased permeability at the capillary level lead to loss of structural integrity in the related microvascular territory. After immediate stenting, this severely damaged microcirculation is exposed to a suddenly increased uncontrolled intracoronary pressure which may consequently substantially contribute to intramyocardial haemorrhage and oedema.

Therefore, it was hypothesised that gradual reperfusion with delayed stenting performed when coronary auto regulatory function was recovered may lessen the myocardial oedema and/or haemorrhage by preventing/limiting uncontrolled increase in pressure in the distal microcirculation.

The recovery of coronary autoregulatory function in reperfused STEMI patients can be assessed by continuous monitoring of coronary (microvascular) blood flow and resistance values after restoration of epicardial blood flow by balloon angioplasty in individual basis.

In this study, following establishment of TIMI-3 flow by balloon angioplasty, patients will be randomized to immediate or delayed stenting groups. Continuous intracoronary hemodynamic monitorization will be performed in re-opened infarct related artery using a coronary guide wire equipped with pressure and flow sensors for a total of 1hour in both groups.

In delayed stent group, stent implantation will be performed in individual basis when coronary hemodynamic data indicates that coronary autoregulation was recovered (when initial hyperaemic flow response was subsided and baseline microvascular resistance was increased). Recovery of autoregulatory function will be determined by identification of stabilisation of baseline coronary flow velocity and baseline microvascular resistance in infarct related artery after balloon angioplasty. Stabilization will be decided by comparing basal coronary flow velocity and microvascular resistance values measured in non-infarct related coronary artery immediately before PPCI with the values that was being measured in re-opened infarct related artery. When baseline flow velocity and resistance values being recorded in IRA got close to the values measured in non-IRA, IRA will be stented. Intracoronary pressure and flow data will continuously be monitored until the end of 1 hour follow-up period.

In immediate stenting group, stent implantation will be performed immediately following angioplasty. Intracoronary pressure and flow data will continuously be monitored using dual sensor coronary guide wire until the end of 1 hour follow up period.

02

Conditions studied

  • ST-elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction

Keywords

  • primary percutaneous coronary intervention
  • microvascular obstruction
  • myocardial edema
  • microvascular resistance
  • acute myocardial infarction
03

In context

Myocardial Infarction

2,744 studies on the registry are indexed under Myocardial Infarction; 418 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 30 is below the median of 148 across 1,595 interventional studies indexed under Myocardial Infarction.

Browse Myocardial Infarction studies →

Lead sponsor

Istanbul University is the lead sponsor of 496 studies on the registry; 79 are open to participants now.

Of its 5 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 1 (20%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 80 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients presenting with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) within 12 hours of their symptom onset in whom TIMI-3 flow was established in infarct related artery (IRA) after balloon angioplasty or thrombectomy.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Recanalized (TIMI I-III flow) IRA at coronary angiography.
  • Patients in whom TIMI-3 flow was not able to be established after wire crossing, balloon angioplasty or thrombectomy.
  • STEMI due to bypass-graft occlusion
  • Severe heart failure or cardiogenic shock
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Deferred coronary stenting

    In this arm, after establishing TIMI -3 flow in infarct related artery with balloon angioplasty, patients will undergo stent implantation when coronary autoregulatory function was recovered (initial hyperemic flow was subsided and baseline resistance was increased). Recovery of the auto regulatory function will be determined by measuring microvascular flow and resistance. After stenting microvascular flow / resistance will continue to be monitored using pressure/flow sensor tipped guide wire until the completion of 1 hour follow up period.

    Device: deferred coronary stenting

  • Active comparator
    Immediate stenting

    In this arm, patients will undergo stenting immediately after balloon angioplasty. After stent implantation, microvascular flow / resistance values will be continuously monitored using pressure/flow sensor tipped guide wire until the end of 1 hour follow up period.

    Device: immediate stenting

Interventions

  • Devicedeferred coronary stenting

    Final coronary stenting will be performed when coronary auto regulation was recovered (approximately 30 minutes after establishment of TIMI III flow şn the infarct related artery)

  • Deviceimmediate stenting

    Stent implantation will be performed immediately after balloon angioplasty (or thrombectomy or wire crossing) as it is performed in daily routine.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Coronary zero flow pressure (Pzf)

    Time frame: At the end of the 1 hour intracoronary hemodynamic monitorization

Secondary outcomes

  1. Hyperemic microvascular resistance (HMR)

    Time frame: At the end of the completion of 1 hour intracoronary hemodynamic monitorization

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiology
    Istanbul, 34290, Turkey
  • Istanbul University School of Medicine
    Istanbul, Turkey
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Sezer M, Escaned J, Broyd CJ, Umman B, Bugra Z, Ozcan I, Sonsoz MR, Ozcan A, Atici A, Aslanger E, Sezer ZI, Davies JE, van Royen N, Umman S. Gradual Versus Abrupt Reperfusion During Primary Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (GUARD). J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 May 17;11(10):e024172. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.121.024172. Epub 2022 May 16. PubMed 35574948 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 1, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02732080
Lead sponsor
Istanbul University
Responsible party
Dr. Murat Sezer (Prof., Istanbul University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 8, 2016
Start date
Apr 2016
Primary completion
Dec 30, 2018
Completion
Dec 30, 2018
Last update
Mar 1, 2023

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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