Introduction: According to European guidelines, ST elevation acute myocardial infarction should be treated by immediate reperfusion, if diagnosed within 12 hours from the onset of symptoms. We aimed to show the impact of a well-functioning pre-existing STEMI network in improving the results of a national program dedicated to the invasive treatment of AMI.
Methods: We followed the comparison between primary PCI rates and STEMI-related mortality in two regions, after the introduction of a nationwide program for the interventional treatment of acute myocardial infarction: region A, where the territory has been appropriately prepared via previous organizational measures in the network, and region B, where the territory has not been previously prepared.
Results: In 2011, one year after the initiation of the national program, a primary PCI rate of 12.1%, a thrombolysis rate of 10.1% and a no-reperfusion treatment rate of 77.8% have been found in these new centers for patients arriving <12 h from symptoms onset. This has been reflected in a mortality of 23.07% for “early presentations” in these new centers in 2011. In comparison, data from the territorial hospitals of the registry (only those without cathlab facilities, similar to the new centers) showed in 2011 a 73.85% primary PCI rate, 12.09% thrombolysis rate and a 14.07% conservative treatment rate, reflected in a mortality of 6.81% for “early presentations” in the registry centers.
Conclusions: The national strategy for reduction of STEMI related mortality via implementation of primary PCI, started in 2010, had a significant impact especially in that region where the territory was previously prepared with appropriate organizational efforts, including educational and logistic measures.
