Data collection and echocardiographic imaging
Patient demographics, medical history, clinical course, laboratory values, angiographic characteristics, and follow-up data were collected prospectively. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was assessed by acquiring 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional images using ultrasound (EPIQ 7, Phillips Ultrasound, Inc., Washington, USA) at 24 h and 1-year post-STEMI. These images were acquired by a trained cardiovascular imaging technician who was blinded to the study data and followed the guidelines established by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI)