Small studies have suggested that direct stenting without balloon predilatation in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction may reduce microcirculatory dysfunction. To examine the clinical benefits of direct stenting in a large cohort of patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention treated with contemporary pharmacotherapy, the 1-year outcomes from the multicenter, randomized Harmonizing Outcomes With Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial were analyzed.
