RESUMEN
To determine the frequency of myocardial damage in elective, successful, single vessel percutaneous coronary angioplasty by assessing myocardial band [MB], creatinine kinase levels and to find out the association of common modifiable risk factors with myocardial damage in patients undergoing single vessel coronary angioplasty. Descriptive. Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology / National Institute of Heart Disease, Rawalpindi, from September 2006 to September 2007. Fifty patients undergoing elective and successful single vessel percutaneous coronary angioplasty were evaluated with creatinine kinase and creatinine kinase MB levels before and after 8 hours and 1[st] day following coronary angioplasty. Studied variables included the length of stent deployed, maximum deployment pressure and total balloon inflation time, apart from hypertension, cholesterol level, smoking and diabetes mellitus. Out of 50 patients, 9 had raised creatinine kinase at 8 hours [18%] and 10 had raised creatinine kinase [20%] on 1[st] day following coronary angioplasty, 7 [14%] patients and 8 [16%] patients had raised creatinine kinase MB levels at 8 hours and 1st day following coronary angioplasty respectively. The rise of either was equal to or more than 3 times the normal limits. Modifiable risk factors, significantly associated with myocardial damage, were diabetes mellitus [p=0.006] and LDL levels [p=0.009] in patients undergoing single vessel coronary angioplasty. Successful elective, uncomplicated, single vessel coronary angioplasty resulted in some myocardial damage evident by mild rise in cardiac enzymes but rise of creatinine kinase MB above 3 times of normal, which signifies percutaneous coronary angioplasty-related myocardial infarction, was not seen. There was a significant association between diabetes mellitus, LDL levels and myocardial damage in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty but no significant association was found between hypertension, smoking and myocardial damage