Potential time saving with pre-hospital intervention in acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

The European Myocardial Infarction Project (E.M.I.P.) participants have evaluated out-of-hospital coronary care services in different cities within the E.E.C. and concluded that these facilities would support a study within these European centres on pre-hospital intervention in myocardial infarction. Based on a pilot study of 2443 patients with suspected myocardial infarction, simple criteria based on chest pain and first ECG finding have been defined to allow selection of out-of-hospital patients for a trial of pre-hospital drug evaluation. Pre-hospital treatment should reduce delay to intervention by about 1 h.