Clinical characteristics of acute ischemic syndrome in China.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the characteristics and therapies of patients with acute ischemic syndrome in China.


METHODS
This study is part of the international multicentre registry for acute ischemic syndrome. Since April 1999, the data of patients admitted to designated hospitals with acute ischemic cardiac chest pain were collected by filling in Case Report Forms offered by the Canadian Cardiovascular Collaboration. The main clinica l characteristics and in  hospital events of the patients were recorded.


RESULTS
Fifteen hundred and nine cases of acute ischemic syndrome from 34 hospitals nationwide were enrolled in the registry (including unstable angina and non Q-wave myocardial infarction). The mean age of the patients was 62.3. Male dominance (62.2%) was noted. The percentages of patients with chest pain at presentation and abnormal ECG were 47.8% and 89.5%, respectively. The most common clinical diagnosis on admission was unstable angina, accounting for 91.3% of the patients and non Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI), accounting for the other 8.7%. During hospitalization, the following interventions were given: thrombolytic therapy in 50 cases (3.3%), coronary angiography in 528 cases (35.0%), percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 253 cases (16.8%) and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in 62 cases (4.1%). Nitrate (oral or patch ) and anti-platelet therapy were used in 1460 cases (96.8%) and 1441 cases (95.5%), respectively. The incidence of in  hospital major events was 18.8%, in cluding 18 deaths (1.2%), with the most common causes being severe arrhythmias and sudden death.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with acute ischemic syndrome in China have mostly been diagnosed as cases of unstable angina. A relatively high PTCA rate but low CABG rate was noted in China. The most common cause of in  hospital death is severe arrhythmias or sudden death.
Tan
H Q
HQ
Emergence Department, Cardiovascular Institute and Fu Wai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China.
Liang
Y
Y
Zhu
J
J
Liu
L S
LS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*