The no-reflow phenomenon following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients is a predictor of unfavorable prognosis. Patients with no-reflow have many complications during admission, and it is considered a marker of short-term mortality. The current research emphasizes the circumstances of the incidence and complications of the no-reflow phenomenon in STEMI patients, including in-hospital mortality. In this case-control study, conducted over two and a half years, there were enrolled 656 patients diagnosed with STEMI and reperfused through PPCI. Several patients (n = 96) developed an interventional type of no-reflow phenomenon. One third of the patients with a no-reflow phenomenon suffered complications during admission, and 14 succumbed. Regarding complications, the majority consisted of arrhythmias (21.68%) and cardiogenic shock (16.67%). The anterior localization of STEMI and the left anterior descending artery (LAD) as a culprit lesion were associated with the highest number of complications during hospitalization. At the same time, the time interval >12 h from the onset of the typical symptoms of myocardial infarction (MI) until revascularization, as well as multiple stents implantations during PPCI, correlated with an increased incidence of short-term complications. The no-reflow phenomenon in patients with STEMI was associated with an unfavorable short-term prognosis.

The incidence of the no-reflow (NR) phenomenon varies depending on the diagnostic criteria used. If just the angiographic criteria are considered (i.e., a degree of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction ≤2), it will be found that the incidence of NR is quite low; on the other hand, when the myocardial NR is taken into account (i.e., a decrease in the quality of myocardial reperfusion expressed by the degree of myocardial blush), the real incidence is higher. Thus, the early establishment of a diagnosis of NR and the administration of specific treatment can lead to its reversibility. Otherwise, regardless of the follow-up period, patients with NR have a poor prognosis. In the present work, we offer a comprehensive perspective on diagnostic tools for NR detection, for improving the global management of patients with arterial microvasculature damage, which is a topic of major interest in the cardiology field, due to its complexity and its link with severe clinical outcomes.