title: Use of emergency medical services in the second gulf registry of acute coronary events.
abstract: Data are scarce regarding emergency medical service (EMS) usage by patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the Arabian Gulf region. This 9-month in-hospital prospective ACS registry was conducted in Arabian Gulf countries, with 30-day and 1-year follow-up mortality rates. Of 5184 patients with ACS, 1293 (25%) arrived at the hospital by EMS. The EMS group (vs non-EMS) was more likely to be male, have cardiac arrest on presentation, be current or exsmokers, and have moderate or severe left ventricular dysfunction and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The EMS group had higher crude mortality rates during hospitalization and after hospital discharge but not after adjustment for clinical factors and treatments. The EMSs are underused in the Arabian Gulf region. Short- and long-term mortality rates in patients with ACS are similar between those who used and did not use EMS. Quality improvement in the EMS infrastructure and establishment of integrated STEMI networks are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Fahad Cardiac Center, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia khalidalhabib13@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Khalid F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: AlHabib
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Fahad Cardiac Center, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hussam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alfaleh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Fahad Cardiac Center, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hersi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Fahad Cardiac Center, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Tarek
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kashour
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Alawi A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alsheikh-Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Jassim Al
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Suwaidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Kadhim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sulaiman
authors.affiliation: Saud AlBabtain Cardiac Center, Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Shukri Al
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Saif
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Wael
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Almahmeed
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Nidal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Asaad
authors.affiliation: Mohammed Bin Khalifa Cardiac Center, Manama, Bahrain.
authors.forename: Haitham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Sana's University, Sana'a, Yemen.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Motarreb
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Lukman
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thalib
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: acute coronary syndrome; coronary artery disease; emergency medical services; middle east; registry