Circulation. Cardiovascular interventions
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Circ Cardiovasc Interv · May 2015
Nationwide Analysis of Patients With ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Transferred for Primary Percutaneous Intervention: Findings From the American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline Program.
Current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend transfer and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients within the time limit of first contact to device ≤ 120 minutes. We determined the hospital-level, patient-level, and process characteristics of timely versus delayed primary PCI for a diverse national sample of transfer patients confined to a travel distance that facilitates the process. ⋯ More than one third of US STEMI patients transferred for primary PCI fail to achieve first door-to-device time ≤ 120 minutes, despite estimated transfer times <60 minutes. Delays are related to process variables, comorbidities, and lower annual PCI hospital STEMI volumes.