Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society
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The patients' misinterpretation of symptoms of an evolving acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a major cause for prolonged pre-hospital delays. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with an attribution of the symptoms to the heart and to investigate the association between symptom misinterpretation and time until first medical contact (delay time). ⋯ Symptom misinterpretation is common among patients with AMI, significantly related to symptoms, sociodemographic characteristics and individual risk factors, and associated with a prolonged delay time.