Gender Differences in Factors Related to Prehospital Delay in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Factors Associated with Symptom-to-Door Delay in Patients with ST-Segment Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Decreasing symptom-to-door (S2D) delay is of vital importance for reducing morbidity and mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The factors associated with S2D delay in STEMI patients have not been well-characterized.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with S2D delay in patients with STEMI.

METHODS

The PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases were searched for data. References from the selected articles and relevant background papers were also manually searched to identify additional eligible studies. The included articles were reviewed and assessed for risk of bias. The level of evidence for each identified factor was evaluated using a semiquantitative synthesis.

RESULTS

Twelve (12) papers were included in the review. Factors associated with S2D delay were complex and could be divided into sociodemographic, clinical history, and onset characteristics. The level of evidence regarding female sex and diabetes was strong, and the evidence was moderate regarding older age, smoking, history of hypertension, self-transport, or referral.

CONCLUSIONS

Female sex, older age, previous diabetes, previous hypertension, smoking, and self-transport are all strong or moderate risk factors for S2D time delay in patients with ST-segment myocardial infarction. More efforts should be made to educate at-risk populations concerning symptoms of STEMI and the importance of seeking early medical assistance.

Health Inequalities of STEMI Care Before Implementation of a New Regional Network: A Prefecture-Level Analysis of Social Determinants of Healthcare in Yunnan, China

BACKGROUND

As one of the most serious types of coronary heart disease, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) faces huge challenges in the equal management and care of patients due to its life-threatening and time-critical condition. Health inequalities such as sex and age differences in STEMI care have been reported from developed countries. However, limited outcomes have been investigated and the major drivers of inequality are still unclear, especially in under-developed areas. This study aimed to explore the major drivers of health inequalities in STEMI care before implementation of a new regional network in the south-west of China.

METHODS

Prefecture-level data of STEMI patients before the implementation of a regional network were analysed retrospectively. Drivers of inequality were identified from six social determinants of health, namely area of residence, ethnicity, sex, age, education and occupation. Outcomes of STEMI care included timely presentation, reperfusion therapy, timely reperfusion therapy, heart failure, inpatient mortality, length of hospital stay, hospital costs, and various intervals of ischaemic time.

RESULTS

A total of 376 STEMI patients in the research area before implementation of the STEMI network were included. Compared with urban residents, rural patients were significantly less likely to have timely presentation (odds ratio [OR]=0.47, 95% CI: 0.28-0.80, P=.004) and timely reperfusion therapy (OR=0.32, 95% CI: 0.14-0.70, P=.005). Rural residents were less likely to present to hospital promptly than urban residents (HR=0.65, 95% CI=0.52-0.82, P<.001). In the first 3 hours of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reperfusion delay and first 6 hours of total ischaemic time, rural patients had a significantly lower probability to receive prompt PCI (hazard ratio [HR]=0.40, 95% CI: 0.29-0.54, P<.001) and reperfusion therapy (HR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.25-0.56, P<.001) compared to urban patients.

CONCLUSION

Rural residents were a major vulnerable group before implementation of the regional STEMI network. No obvious inequalities in ethnicity, sex, age, education or occupation existed in STEMI care in Chuxiong Prefecture of China.

Effect of Health Literacy on Decision Delay in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: Health literacy (HL) is a risk factor for adverse outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease, and shorter pre-hospital delay time is crucial for successful treatment of acute myocardial infraction (AMI) patients. Most previous studies focused on the influencing factors of pre-hospital delay but ignore the essential contribution of decision delay.

Aims: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effect of HL on decision delay.

Methods: Continuously included AMI patients admitted to a grade A class three hospital in Chongqing. HL level was assessed using Brief Health Literacy Screen and categorized as adequate or inadequate. Mann-Whitney U-test and Chi-square test were used to compare the differences between groups, and binary logistic regression was used to analyze the association between HL and decision delay.

Results: A total of 217 AMI patients were enrolled in this study, including 166 males (76.5%) and 51 females (23.5%), with the median age was 68 years old; 135 (62.2%) patients had delayed decision-making while 82 (37.8%) did not; 157 (72.7%) patients had inadequate HL and 59 (27.3%) had adequate HL. The total HL score of non-delayed group was higher than that in delayed group (9.22 vs. 7.02, P < 0.000).

Conclusion: After adjusting for covariates, HL was significantly negatively associated with decision time. AMI patients with inadequate HL were more likely to delay seeking timely medical care.

Analysis of potential factors contributing to refusal of invasive strategy after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in China

Background:

Reduced application of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is associated with higher mortality rates after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We aimed to evaluate potential factors contributing to the refusal of PCI in STEMI patients in China.

Methods:

We studied 957 patients diagnosed with STEMI in the emergency departments (EDs) of six public hospitals in China. The differences in baseline characteristics and 30-day outcome were investigated between patients who refused PCI and those who underwent PCI. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the potential factors associated with refusing PCI.

Results:

The potential factors contributing to refusing PCI were older than 65 years (odds ratio [OR] 2.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56–4.52, P < 0.001), low body mass index (BMI) (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84–0.98, P = 0.013), not being married (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.17–0.49, P < 0.001), history of myocardial infarction (MI) (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.33–5.04, P = 0.005), higher heart rate (HR) (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.03, P = 0.002), cardiac shock in the ED (OR 5.03, 95% CI 1.48–17.08, P = 0.010), pre-hospital delay (>12 h) (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.83–6.02, P < 0.001) and not being hospitalized in a tertiary hospital (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27–0.75, P = 0.002). Compared to men, women were older, were less often married, had a lower BMI and were less often hospitalized in tertiary hospitals.

Conclusions:

Patients who were older, had lower economic or social status, and had poorer health status were more likely to refuse PCI after STEMI. There was a sex difference in the potential predictors of refusing PCI. Targeted efforts should be made to improve the acceptance of PCI among patients with STEMI in China.

Cardiac symptom attribution and knowledge of the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Since the knowledge of the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may reduce the decision time for patients to seek help in case of an AMI, we aimed to summarize evidence on the knowledge of the AMI symptoms and the symptom attribution in case of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

METHODS

Therefore, we systematically searched the databases PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane Library for relevant studies published between January 1, 2008 and 2019 (last search August 1, 2019).

RESULTS

A total of 86 studies were included, with a composite sample size of 354,497 participants. The weighted mean of the knowledge scores for the symptoms of AMI of 14,420 participants from the general population, was 42.1% (when maximum score was considered 100%) and 69.5% for 7642 cardiac patients. There was a substantially better level of knowledge for six symptoms ('chest pain or discomfort', 'shortness of breath', 'pain or discomfort in arms or shoulders', 'feeling weak, lightheaded, or faint', 'pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back', and 'sweating') (49.8-88.5%) compared to the four less obvious/atypical symptoms 'stomach or abdominal discomfort', 'nausea or vomiting', 'headache', and 'feeling of anxiety' (8.7-36.7%). Only 45.1% of 14,843 patients, who experienced ACS, have correctly attributed their symptoms to a cardiac cause.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we found a moderate to good knowledge of "classic" and insufficient knowledge of less obvious symptoms of AMI. This might suggest that increasing knowledge about less obvious symptoms of AMI could be beneficial. It appears also important to address cardiac attribution of symptoms.

Psychological and cognitive factors related to prehospital delay in acute coronary syndrome: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

In acute coronary syndrome the time elapsed between the start of symptoms and the moment the patient receives treatment is an important determinant of survival and subsequent recovery. However, many patients do not receive treatment as quickly as recommended, mostly due to substantial prehospital delays such as waiting to seek medical attention after symptoms have started.

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis of the relationship between nine frequently investigated psychological and cognitive factors and prehospital delay.

DESIGN

A protocol was preregistered in PROSPERO [CRD42018094198] and a systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines.

DATA SOURCES

The following databases were searched for quantitative articles published between 1997 and 2019: Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, Psych Info, PAIS, and Open grey.

REVIEW METHODS

Study risk of bias was assessed with the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Observational, Cohort, and Cross-Sectional Studies. A best evidence synthesis was performed to summarize the findings of the included studies.

RESULTS

Forty-eight articles, reporting on 57 studies from 23 countries met the inclusion criteria. Studies used very diverse definitions of prehospital delay and analytical practices, which precluded meta-analysis. The best evidence synthesis indicated that there was evidence that patients who attributed their symptoms to a cardiac event (n = 37), perceived symptoms as serious (n = 24), or felt anxiety in response to symptoms (n = 15) reported shorter prehospital delay, with effect sizes indicating important clinical differences (e.g., 1.5-2 h shorter prehospital delay). In contrast, there was limited evidence for a relationship between prehospital delay and knowledge of symptoms (n = 18), concern for troubling others (n = 18), fear (n = 17), or embarrassment in asking for help (n = 14).

CONCLUSIONS

The current review shows that symptom attribution to cardiac events and some degree of perceived threat are fundamental to speed up help-seeking. In contrast, social concerns and barriers in seeking medical attention (embarrassment or concern for troubling others) may not be as important as initially thought. The current review also shows that the use of very diverse methodological practices strongly limits the integration of evidence into meaningful recommendations. We conclude that there is urgent need for common guidelines for prehospital delay study design and reporting.

Pre-hospital delay and emergency medical services in acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Minimising total ischemic time (TIT) is important for improving clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). TIT has not shown a significant improvement due to persistent pre-hospital delay. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with pre-hospital delay.

METHODS

Individuals enrolled in the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institutes of Health between 2011 and 2015 were included in this study. The study population was analyzed according to the symptom-to-door time (STDT; within 60 or > 60 minutes), and according to the type of hospital visit (emergency medical services [EMS], non-PCI center, or PCI center).

RESULTS

A total of 4,874 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 28.4% arrived at the hospital within 60 minutes of symptom-onset. Old age (> 65 years), female gender, and renewed ischemia were independent predictors of delayed STDT. Utilising EMS was the only factor shown to reduce STDT within 60 minutes, even when cardiogenic shock was evident. The overall frequency of EMS utilisation was low (21.7%). Female gender was associated with not utilising EMS, whereas cardiogenic shock, previous myocardial infarction, familial history of ischemic heart disease, and off-hour visits were associated with utilising EMS.

CONCLUSION

Factors associated with delayed STDT and not utilising EMS could be targets for preventive intervention to improve STDT and TIT.

The association between symptom onset characteristics and prehospital delay in women and men with acute coronary syndrome

BACKGROUND

A decision to delay seeking treatment for symptoms of acute coronary syndrome increases the risk of serious complications, disability, and death.

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was an association between gradual vs abrupt symptom onset and prehospital delay for patients with acute coronary syndrome and to examine the relationship between activities at symptom onset and gradual vs abrupt symptom onset.

METHODS

This was a secondary analysis of a large prospective multi-center study. Altogether, 474 patients presenting to the emergency department with symptoms of acute coronary syndrome were included in the study. Symptom characteristics, activity at symptom onset, and prehospital delay were measured with the ACS Patient Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Median prehospital delay time was four hours. Being uninsured (β=0.120, p=0.031) and having a gradual onset of symptoms (β=0.138, p=0.003) were associated with longer delay. A diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (β=-0.205, p=0.001) and arrival by ambulance (β=-0.317, p<0.001) were associated with shorter delay. Delay times were shorter for patients who experienced an abrupt vs gradual symptom onset (2.57 h vs 8 h, p<0.001). Among men with an abrupt onset of symptoms and a ST-elevation myocardial infarction diagnosis, 54% reported that symptoms were triggered by exertion (p=0.046).

CONCLUSION

Patients should be counselled that a gradual onset of symptoms for potential acute coronary syndrome is an emergency and that they should call 911. Men with ischemic heart disease or with multiple risk factors should be cautioned that symptom onset following exertion may represent acute coronary syndrome.