Improving door-to-needle times for patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction at a rural district general hospital

Assessment of the Impact of the Implementation of a Pre-Hospital Ambulance System on Acute Myocardial Infarction Mortality in a Developing Country

BACKGROUND

The effective management of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is time-dependent.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the impacts of the implementation of prehospital care on admission rates and mortality associated with AMI.

METHODS

Retrospective, ecological study, which assessed data from the Brazilian Universal Health System, from all 853 municipalities of Minas Gerais, from 2008 to 2016. Excessive skewness of general and in-hospital mortality rates was smoothed using the empirical Bayes method. This study assessed the relationship between Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU) in each municipality and the following 3 outcomes: mortality rate due to AMI, AMI in-hospital mortality, and AMI hospitalization rate, using the Poisson hierarchical model. Rates were corrected by age structure and detrended by seasonality and temporal influences. A confidence interval of 95% was adopted.

RESULTS

AMI mortality rates decreased throughout the study, on average 2% per year, with seasonal variation. AMI in-hospital mortality also showed a decreasing trend, from 13.81% in 2008 to 11.43% in 2016. SAMU implementation was associated with decreased AMI mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 0.967, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.936 to 0.998) and AMI in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.914, 95% CI 0.845 to 0.986), with no relation with hospitalizations (OR = 1.003, 95% CI 0.927 to 1.083).

CONCLUSION

SAMU implementation was associated with a modest but significant decrease in AMI in-hospital mortality. This finding reinforces the key role of prehospital care in AMI care and the need for investments on this service to improve clinical outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

Acute myocardial infarction at a district hospital in KwaZulu-Natal – Management and outcomes

Background

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) following ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The condition remains a management challenge in resource-constrained environments. This study analysed the management and outcomes of patients presenting with AMI at a district hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.

Methods

A descriptive study that assessed hospital records of all patients diagnosed with AMI over a 2-year period (01 August 2016 to 31 July 2018). Data extracted recorded patient demographics, risk factors, timing of care, therapeutic interventions, follow up with cardiology and mortality of patients.

Results

Of the 140 patients who were admitted with AMI, 96 hospital records were analysed. The mean (standard deviation [s.d.]) age of patients was 55.8 (±12.7) years. Smoking (73.5%) and hypertension (63.3%) were the most prevalent risk factors for patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in contrast to dyslipidaemia (70.2%) and hypertension (68.1%) in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Almost 49.5% of patients arrived at hospital more than 6 h after symptom onset. Three (12.5%) patients received thrombolytic therapy within the recommended 30-min time frame. The mean triage-to-needle time was 183 min – range (3; 550). Median time to cardiology appointment was 93 days. The in-hospital mortality of 12 deaths considering 140 admissions was 8.6%.

Conclusion

In a resource-constrained environment with multiple systemic challenges, in-hospital mortality is comparable to that in private sector conditions in South Africa. This entrenches the role of the family physician. There is need for more coordinated systems of care for AMI between district hospitals and tertiary referral centres.

Impact of a telemedicine-guided, population-based, STEMI network on reperfusion strategy, efficiency, and outcomes: Impact of telemedicine on STEMI management

AIMS

A telemedicine-guided strategy increases the access to and efficiency of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) networks resulting in increased access to, and reduced disparities in, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care between rural and urban areas.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN) was developed for poor and remote regions in Brazil and Colombia that lacked coordinated AMI systems of care. It strategically connects small clinics and primary care health centres (spokes) to hubs with 24/7 percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) capability. Experts at three remote sites provide urgent electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnosis and tele-consultation for the entire network. Data from the busiest LATIN site, the Santa Marcelina Hospital in Sao Paolo, Brazil, were compared with health statistics from Sistema Unico de Saude (Brazilian Public Health System - SUS). A total of 192 centres were networked using standardised and guideline-based protocols for AMI care. Overall, 313,897 patients were remotely screened, 3,572 AMI diagnosed (1.1%), and 1,636 AMI urgently reperfused (45.8%), mainly by primary PCI (n=1,351; 83%).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, a comparison between a pre-LATIN cohort from SUS (1,015) and a LATIN cohort from Santa Marcelina Hospital (1,247) revealed increased reperfusion with PCI (65.52% vs 75.2%), increased cost ($2,037.12 vs $2,246.40, p<0.005), a statistically significant reduction in PCI mortality (8.5% vs 4.3% p<0.01) and a non-significant reduction in mortality overall amongst all treatment pathways (9.69% vs 9.43%, p=0.931).