title: Delays in admission of patients with acute myocardial infarction to coronary care: implications for thrombolysis.
abstract: Of 408 patients presenting to a coronary care unit over a six month period 237 had an acute myocardial infarction. Two-thirds presented to hospital within three hours of the onset of symptoms. The median delay between arrival in hospital and admission to the Coronary Care Unit was 60 minutes. Only a minority of patients with acute myocardial infarction were eligible to receive thrombolysis, the most common exclusion criteria being an electrocardiograph that was not diagnostic of infarction at presentation. In-hospital transfer delay has increased considerably since 1972. It did not exclude many patients from receiving thrombolysis but it caused delayed thrombolysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pell
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D003325:Coronary Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012606:Scotland; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data