Wang X, et al. - Given the correlation of receipt of ticagrelor with a significant reduction in the incidence of death, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) intended for reperfusion with a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI), researchers sought to determine how ticagrelor influences microvascular perfusion in STEMI patients. They randomized a total of 298 STEMI patients to either ticagrelor 180 mg loading, followed by 90 mg twice daily, or clopidogrel 600 mg loading, followed by 75 mg daily. Outcomes suggest that ticagrelor results in an improvement in myocardial perfusion and left ventricular ejection fraction, and reduction in the incidence of major adverse cardiac events for STEMI patients undergoing pPCI, when compared with clopidogrel, with no significant increase in major bleeding.