Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of direct emergency department activation of the catheterization lab on door-to-balloon time (D2BT) and outcomes of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients at a major tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that enrolled 100 consecutive patients with acute STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention between June 2010 and January 2015. The patients were divided into two groups of 50 patients each. The first group was treated prior to establishing the Code-STEMI protocol. The other group was treated according to the protocol, which was implemented in June 2013. The Code-STEMI protocol is a comprehensive program implementing direct activation of the catheterization lab team using a single call system, data monitoring and feedback, and standardized order forms.
Results: The mean age for both groups was 54 ± 12 years. Males represented 86% (43) and 94% (47) of the patients in the two groups, respectively. In both groups, 90% (90) of patients had one or more comorbidities. The Code-STEMI group had a significantly lower D2BT, with 70% of patients treated within the recommended 90 minutes (median, 76.5 minutes; interquartile range, 63-90 minutes). By contrast, only 26% of pre-Code-STEMI patients were treated within this timeframe (median, 107 minutes; interquartile range, 74-149 minutes). In-hospital complications were lower in the Code-STEMI group; however, the only statistically significant reduction was in non-fatal re-infarction (8% vs. 0%, p = 0.043).
Conclusion: Implementation of direct emergency department catheterization lab activation protocol was associated with a significant reduction in D2BT.
Keywords: Door-to-balloon; Primary percutaneous coronary intervention; ST-elevation myocardial infarction.