Summary

This article discusses the results of the Total Occlusion Study of Canada [TOSCA]-2, which was a mechanistic sub-study of the Occluded Artery Trial [OAT] funded by the National Institutes of Health. Observational studies have suggested beneficial effects of opening a persistently occluded infarct related artery so called “open artery hypothesis,” and the TOSCA-2 study set out to determine the effects of stent-based interventions 3 to 28 days post-myocardial infarction.