Objective To investigate the differences in clinical efficacy and safety between thrombolysis followed PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) and primary PCI in patients with acute STEMI (ST elevation myocardial infarction). Methods A total of 215 STEMI patients who visit our clinic within 12 h since onset of their symptoms from May 2013 to January 2015 were enrolled. All eligible patients were divided into Early PCI group(n=68) and pPCI group (n=147) based on whether or not they received injection of recombinant human prourokinase thrombolytic therapy before their visit. Immediate TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) flow grade of infarct-related artery (IRA) before and after PCI treatment, post?operative CTFC (Corrected TIMI Frame Count) and TMPG (TIMI myocardial perfusion grade) were compared between these two groups. The incidence of bleeding during hospital stay , left ventricular function at 6 month after intervention and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were all observed. Rusults There is no obvious difference between the baseline of two groups. Before PCI, the proportion of TIMI grade 2-3 was higher in Early PCI group (77.9%vs 20.4%,P<0.05)than that in pPCI group;but there was no significant difference in the proportion of TIMI grade 2-3 between these two groups after PCI (P>0.05). CTFC and peak value of serum CK-MB were lower [(27.7 ± 5.0) vs (32.6 ± 7.1), P<0.05;(225.8 ± 108.3) U/L vs (283.4 ± 110.6) U/L, P<0.05] and rate of TMPG 3 is higher (82.4%vs 68.7%, P<0.05)in Early PCI group than those in pPCI group. No significant difference was found in the incidence of bleeding and MACE during hospital stay and Left ventric?ular function at 6 months after operation between these two groups. By contrast, LVEFs were higher while LVEDds (LVED diameter) were lower after 3 and 6 months of the intervention compared to those before intervention in both groups (P <0.05). Conclusion It is a safe and effective reperfusion strategy for STEMI patients to receive rhPro-UK thrombolytic thera?py followed early PCI as an alternative way to those who failed to receive pPCI on time. It didn′t increase the occurrence of bleeding complications and MACE, and at the same time it presented the same benefit in improving recent cardiac function as pPCI did.