Survival after thrombolytic therapy is better with Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 3 flow

Among all patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction entered into the GUSTO-I trial, those with TIMI grade 3 (normal) flow in the infarct-related artery at 90 minutes after thrombolytic therapy had a significantly higher rate of two-year survival than patients with TIMI grades 0, 1, or 2. Partial restoration of flow (TIMI grade 2) did not improve outcomes compared with no or faint flow (TIMI grade 0 or 1). A similar relationship was seen when the analysis was limited to patients who were alive at 30 days after the infarction (not shown).