Circulation. Cardiovascular interventions
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Circ Cardiovasc Interv · Dec 2011
Primary percutaneous coronary intervention as a national reperfusion strategy in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.
In Denmark, primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) was chosen as a national reperfusion strategy for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in 2003. This study describes the temporal implementation of PPCI in Western Denmark, the gradual introduction of field triage for PPCI (patients rerouted from the scene of the event directly to the invasive center), and the associated outcome. ⋯ A reperfusion strategy with PPCI only for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction was successfully implemented in Western Denmark, and the majority of patients transported by the EMS are now triaged directly to the PPCI centers. This strategy is associated with lower mortality.