Acute myocardial infarction--from territory to definitive treatment in an Italian province.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: Early reperfusion is the key to therapeutic success in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The duration of the process is influenced by various factors which in most of the cases are not easily modifiable. The aim of this study is to analyse AMI treatment process duration to identify determining factors.

Clinical impact of direct referral to primary percutaneous coronary intervention following pre-hospital diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Aims: Treatment delay is a powerful predictor of survival in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We investigated effectiveness of pre-hospital diagnosis of STEMI with direct referral to PCI, alongside more conventional referral strategies.

Methods And Results: From January 2003 to December 2004, 658 STEMI patients were referred for primary PCI at our intervention laboratory.