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Do patients with myocardial infarction fare better when they are admitted to hospitals with on-site facilities for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)? In a prospective, observational, industry-funded study involving 83% of coronary care units in France, researchers compared outcomes in 1176 patients who were initially admitted to PCI-capable hospitals and 738 patients who were initially admitted to non-PCI hospitals in November 2000.
Patients admitted to PCI hospitals had shorter lengths of stay and were more likely to receive evidence-based acute care and discharge medications. Despite similar rates of inhospital stroke and reinfarction in the two groups, patients at the PCI hospitals had lower rates of inhospital mortality and of the…