title: Transferring patients for primary angioplasty: a retrospective analysis of 104 selected high risk patients with acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the feasibility of primary coronary angioplasty as a treatment option in patients with acute myocardial infarction after initial diagnosis in a local community hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Referral centre for interventional treatment of coronary artery disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  During a five year period, 520 candidates for primary coronary angioplasty were treated in our institution, 104 after transfer from a community hospital. The transferred patients and the non-transferred patients (n = 416) were compared with regard to baseline clinical characteristics, time interval from symptom onset to treatment, and clinical outcome at six months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this setting, the influence of transportation on total ischaemic time was limited, and there was no difference in clinical outcome between the transferred and the non-transferred patients. Clinical outcome was mainly dependent on the indication for transfer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Safe and expedient transportation may facilitate the more widespread use of primary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction. A large randomised multicentre trial is needed to compare the relative merits of intravenous thrombolytic treatment in a local hospital with primary angioplasty after transfer in selected high risk patients with acute myocardial infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Hospital De Weezenlanden, Zwolle, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zijlstra
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: van 't Hof
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Liem
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hoorntje
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suryapranata
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: de Boer
mesh_terms: D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D018579:Patient Selection; D010360:Patient Transfer; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome