Analysis of time intervals involved in admission to a coronary care unit

Time intervals between the onset of the presenting symptom (chest pain) and arrival in a coronary care unit were studied for 221 admissions arranged by conventional means. The median figure for “patient delay” was 60 minutes, for “general-practitioner delay” 20 minutes, for “ambulance delay” 30 minutes, and for “transit delay” 30 minutes. The median “total delay” was three hours 30 minutes.

Only 4·5 per cent of the patients were under intensive coronary care within one hour, the time of the highest mortality risk. A mobile coronary service should be capable of increasing the proportion of patients brought under special care within the first hour, but the time taken by the patient to realise the nature of the emergency and summon aid is likely to remain the most critical factor.

     

Patients with suspected myocardial infarction: their test request patterns for clinical biochemistry in a British and a Canadian cardiac care unit.

The total number of routine clinical biochemistry tests requested for patients admitted to a coronary care unit with a diagnosis of "query myocardial infarction" were recorded over four to eight months. There were 156 sequential admissions in a British teaching hospital and 163 in a Canadian counterpart; the incidence of confirmed myocardial infarction was 53% and 50%, respectively. The pattern of tests ordered was substantially similar in each unit, unlike the rate of testing. For example, total creatine kinase was requested five times less often per patient in the British hospital than in the Canadian unit in cases of confirmed myocardial infarction (2.17 and 10.17, respectively; p less than 0.0001): the difference was much less, but still significant, when there was no infarction (2.01 and 3.55; p less than 0.0001). This study suggests a significant international difference in the use of clinical biochemistry services between coronary care units. Physicians (clinical and laboratory) need to be more critical of their use of protocols, which may prove wasteful of limited health care resources.     

Clinical first myocardial infarction: coronary artery disease and old infarcts in 53 consecutive fatal cases from a coronary care unit

The frequency and size of previous unrecognized myocardial infarction in patients with first clinical diagnosed acute myocardial infarction are unknown. In this study, 53 consecutive patients with clinical first acute myocardial infarction which proved fatal were studied postmortem. All showed acute infarction (inclusion criterium). Acute coronary thrombosis was found in 51 (96%). One-, two-, and three-vessel disease diagnosed by postmortem coronary angiography (diameter stenosis greater than or equal to 75%) was present in 17 (32%), 22 (42%), and 14 (26%), respectively. One or more old infarcts were found in 24 of the cases (45%) despite no history of previous myocardial infarction. Old infarcts were found in 86% of the hearts with three-vessel disease and in 55% of the hearts with two-vessel disease, but none were found in the hearts with one-vessel disease. The median weight of the old infarcts was 4 grams (range: 0.5 to 25 grams) corresponding to 5% (0.5 to 14%) of the ventricular myocardium. Thus, two- or three-vessel coronary artery disease and old infarcts are often present in patients dying from their clinical first acute myocardial infarction.     

Recurrent myocardial infarction with patent coronary arteries.

Two separate episodes of severe chest pain occurred several years apart in a 25-year-old male patient with typical clinical findings of acute myocardial infarction with each episode. Cardiac catheterization following the second infarction confirmed the presence of myocardial dysfunction with apical akinesis and dyskinesis. Both coronary arteries were radiologically patent; however, there was evidence of probable recanalization of the right coronary artery. Several months later, the patient developed flank pain, hematuria, progressive renal failure, and cardiac decompensation, and died with intractable arrhythmias. At autopsy, a large apical mitral thrombosis was found and was the presumptive source of multiple systemic emboli.     

Patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction to a district general hospital: baseline results and effect of audit

The Cardiovascular Health Strategy recommended that patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction receive thrombolysis within ninety minutes of alerting medical or ambulance services. The aim of this prospective study was to describe the management of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) presenting to a district general hospital in Donegal. All patients with a confirmed diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, excluding those from the Donegal Area Rapid Treatment Study (DARTS) practices, admitted to Letterkenny General Hospital (LGH) from 31.08.99 to 31.08.01 were included in the study. 349 patients were included in the study; average age of 68 ranging from 30 to 96 years and 69% were male. Of the 349 patients, 101 (29%) were located more than 30 miles from LGH at the time of onset of symptoms. The median time taken from the onset of symptoms to calling for help was 119 minutes. The median time from hospital arrival to patients being admitted to CCU was 90 minutes. Thrombolytic therapy was administered in 31% of patients; for these patients the median call to needle time was 200 minutes. Call to needle times differed significantly between rural (median 227.5 minutes n = 64) and urban patients (median 175 minutes n = 37, p < 0.05, Mann-Whitney). Hospital delay times decreased throughout the study period (p > 0.05, Mann-Whitney). The study extends the findings from previous research by investigating the individual time delay components from onset of symptoms to treatment in AMI patients. Delay times exceed the recommended call to needle and door to needle times suggesting the need for interventions to reduce these times.     

Death anxiety on a coronary care unit

Conflicts among staff members on intensive care units can often be traced back to anxiety produced by their daily confrontation with death, which sharpens the realization of their own mortality. The author describes experience with small group discussions to help the staff learn how to cope with death anxiety; analyzes the components of such anxiety; and discusses problems in evolving more highly integrated defense and coping mechanisms in the CCU staff.     

The effect of a change from conventional cardiac enzymes to troponin I on overall hospital costs in patients with suspected myocardial infarction

A random sample of patients presenting to this hospital in 1996 and 2000 with chest pain was assessed retrospectively with respect to patient bed stay and associated costs. The laboratory testing protocol had been changed from traditional cardiac markers AST, CK and CKMB, to troponin I, in the intervening period. The average bed stay for patients with chest pain of non-AMI origin was reduced by 2 days, as a result of the change in testing protocol. As ward costs contribute 49% of total cost of treatment, this resulted in decreased cost per patient, and more efficient use of hospital beds.     

The management of suspected myocardial infarction by Scottish general practitioners with access to community hospital beds.

General practitioners working in 20 community hospitals in Scotland participated in a survey of the management of myocardial infarction. During one year they suspected acute myocardial infarction in 451 patients. Of these patients, 278 (62%) were admitted to a community hospital, 125 (28%) to a district general hospital and 48 (11%) were kept at home. The main reasons given for admission to a community hospital were for monitoring and investigation, while the main reasons for admission to a district hospital rather than a community hospital were the relative youth of the patient and the severity of the illness. Acute myocardial infarction was confirmed in 323 (72%) cases, but in 26 (6%) cases the final diagnosis was other than ischaemic heart disease. Patients with acute myocardial infarction who entered a community hospital did so a median of two hours 25 minutes after the onset of symptoms. Among 18 patients admitted to a community hospital in whom resuscitation was attempted after cardiac arrest four (22%) were subsequently discharged from hospital. The mortality rate from acute myocardial infarction in the community studied was 171/418 (41%), of whom 95 died suddenly before coming under medical care. It is concluded that in rural areas of Scotland an acceptable standard of care for patients with acute myocardial infarction, including the administration of thrombolytic therapy, could be provided rapidly by general practitioners working in community hospitals.     

The significance of ST and T changes for the development of coronary events in patients with acute coronary chest pain, treated in a coronary care unit without verified acute myocardial infarction

The one-year prognosis for patients with a confirmed diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was compared with that of non-AMI patients treated in the coronary care unit (CCU). The one-year incidence of coronary events (CE) after discharge from CCU was 37% in the 51 AMI patients and 20% in the 81 non-AMI patients. The one-year mortality rates were 27 and 4%, respectively. Among the non-AMI patients, well known risk factors such as hypertension, previous AMI, congestive heart failure, smoking, diabetes and hyperlipaemia were not more common in those who developed a CE. ST segment depression and T wave inversion, each of at least 0.1 mV, in three or more ECG leads were selective criteria for a high-risk group with respect to CE. Preventive measures should be considered in this group of patients without verified AMI.     

入院血糖对急性心肌梗死患者介入治疗后住院死亡率的预测价值

目的探讨入院即刻血糖水平对急性心肌梗死（AMI）患者行经皮冠状动脉介入（PCT）治疗后住院死亡率的预测价值。方法因急性心肌梗死在笔者所在医院行急诊PCI治疗的非糖尿病患者456例,其中男性319例,女性137例,年龄29～85岁,平均年龄61．30岁。按入院即刻血糖（SG）水平分为3组：SG〈7．8mmol/L为A组248例,7．8mmol／L≤SG≤11.1mmol／L为B组156例,SG〉11．1mmol/L为C组52例,分别对3组患者住院期间心力衰竭、恶性心律失常、心脏性死亡,再梗死、梗死后心绞痛及主要不良心脏事件（MACE）的发生率进行对比分析。结果在年龄、性别、冠心病家族史、吸烟、既往高血压、心房纤颤、前降支和右冠状动脉病变、多支病变、梗死后心绞痛、胸痛发作至PCI时间等方面3组之间差异均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）;而C组多于一个部位心肌梗死、入院Killip’s分级≥2级的比例明显多于A、B两组（P〈0．05）;C组白细胞计数明显高于A、B组（P〈0．05）;在肌酸激酶（CK）、肌酸激酶同功酶峰值（CK／CK—MB）及住院期间左心室射血分数方面3组差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;C组急性心力衰竭的发生率明显高于A、B组;C组心肌梗死再发生率亦高于A组,而B、C组未显示差异有统计学意义;C组恶性心律失常发生率明显高于A组,A、B组差异亦有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;而MACE发生率及住院期间死亡率分别为C组46．2％和13．7％,B组34．0％和4．5％,A组19．0％和1．6％,3组之间差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．001）。结论入院即刻血糖升高的急性心肌梗死患者实施急诊PCI治疗后院内死亡率及总的心血管事件发生率高,提示预后不良。     

替格瑞洛治疗急性心肌梗死行经皮冠状动脉介入术后患者效果观察

目的:探究替格瑞洛片对急性心肌梗死(Acute myocardial infarction,AMI)行经皮冠状动脉介入术(Percutaneous coronary intervention,PCI)术后患者血凝状态、心功能及细胞炎症反应的影响.方法:选取我科2018年1月至2019年6月期间收治的127例AMI行PC...