Prehospital Care and Outcomes in Acute Myocardial Infarction

In one study, patients with AMI fared better when triaged in the ambulance and taken directly to a hospital that performs percutaneous coronary intervention, and, in another study, patients with symptoms for <2 hours fared better when treated with fibrinolysis than with primary PCI.

In a retrospective study at a single Dutch regional percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) center from 1998 to 2008, researchers compared outcomes between 2840 patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who were transported directly to the PCI center and 2288 who were transported to an affiliated non-PCI center and then transferred to the PCI center. Patients who were transported directly to the PCI center were triaged in the ambulance by a crew trained to perform and interpret electrocardiograms and to administer heparin, aspirin, and clopidogrel. Transferred patients received similar diagnostic and therapeutic interventions at the non-PCI center.

The prehospital triage group had significantly shorter median time fro…

Reviewing Author

J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP

Disclosures

RoyaltiesKlint Law Firm

Editorial boardsCritical Decisions in Emergency Medicine

J. Stephen Bohan, MD, MS, FACP, FACEP

Disclosures

RoyaltiesKlint Law Firm

Editorial boardsCritical Decisions in Emergency Medicine