Incidence of acute myocardial infarction resulting in sudden death outside the hospital.
OBJECTIVE
To prospectively determine the percentage of cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) resulting in sudden death outside the hospital.


METHODS
Two groups of patients were defined by the emergency medical services. Group A comprised all out-of-hospital sudden deaths in 2004 meeting the criteria for possible or probable AMI (n=395 among 1072 sudden death patients, ie, 37%). Group B comprised all in-hospital AMI in the district during the same year according to hospital registry records (n=731).


RESULTS
The out-of-hospital sudden death rate due to AMI was determined by the ratio of the number of patients in group A over the total number of patients (A+B), and was found to be 35% (95% CI 32% to 38%).


CONCLUSIONS
The estimated mortality of AMI appears to be 35% in this population. This figure suggests that significant improvement in the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is still necessary.
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Frédéric
F
Samu 93 - EA 3409, Hôpital Avicenne, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris 13, 125 rue de Stalingrad, 93009 Bobigny cedex, France. frederic.adnet@avc.aphp.fr
Renault
Robin
R
Jabre
Patricia
P
Kulstad
Erik
E
Galinski
Michel
M
Lapostolle
Frédéric
F
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010297:Paris / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult