The Journal of invasive cardiology
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Strategies of emergency care in the treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have evolved rapidly over the past two decades to include primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) when possible. Most U.S.-based transfer programs still use complicated protocols that include fibrinolytic therapy often resulting in transfer delays, inappropriately applied therapy (wrong diagnosis) and bleeding and stroke complications. These protocols are often emphasized in low-volume centers. We implemented a program absent fibrinolytic therapy and applied it to a network of 25 participating hospitals over a 100-mile radius in central Minnesota. ⋯ Despite increasing trends toward a pharmacoinvasive approach in transfer patients with STEMI, a protocol which stresses rapid transfer and PPCI results in excellent outcomes, with very low complication rates without fibrinolytic therapy.
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Comparative Study
ST-elevation myocardial infarction mortality in a major academic center "on-" versus "off-" hours.
A higher mortality rate for weekend myocardial infarction (MI) admissions has been reported and attributed to the lower availability of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during off-hours. However, the data are conflicting and, furthermore, inapplicable to hospitals where primary PCI is invariably performed. ⋯ Higher rates of in-hospital mortality and cardiogenic shock may be expected in STEMI patients admitted during off-hours, even when primary PCI is performed. Longer DTB times during off-hours may partially explain our findings. Strategies to optimize reperfusion time during off-hours, including perhaps a 24/7 in-house "STEMI team" may be necessary.
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Outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by renal insufficiency have been well described. However, data regarding admission serum creatinine and coronary and myocardial flow are scant. The aims of this study are to evaluate the effects of admission serum creatinine on coronary blood flow and prognosis in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary PCI. ⋯ The elevated admission serum creatinine levels are associated with impaired myocardial flow and poor prognosis in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.
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Recent data from large national registries show that < 15% of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) transferred for primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) actually meet the door-to-balloon (D2B) goal of < or = 90 minutes, and only onethird achieve D2B times of < or = 120 minutes. We established a streamlined STEMI protocol to allow rapid transfer of STEMI patients for primary PCI to meet the ACC D2B goal of < or = 90 minutes in at least 75% of the patients. ⋯ For patients in a rural setting who present with STEMI, transfer of approximately 30 miles for timely primary PCI can be achieved in nearly 75% of patients using a simplified streamlined protocol.