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- Karlsson, BW, et al.
(author)
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The prognosis of patients suspected of having acute myocardial infarction subsequent to its exclusion as the diagnosis
- 1990
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In: International Journal of Cardiology. - : Elsevier Ireland Ltd. - 0167-5273 .- 1874-1754. ; 26:3, s. 251-257
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This review of the literature concerns the prognosis of patients suspected of having myocardial infarction subsequent to its exclusion as the diagnosis. Several investigations show a surprisingly bad prognosis for patients in this category, almost comparable to that of patients with a confirmed infarction. When the results of the different studies are pooled, however, there is a significant difference between those patients with true infarction, and those in whom infarction was excluded, in terms of overall mortality (12% and 7%; P < 0.0001) and the development of subsequent non-fatal infarction (11% and 6%; P < 0.05) when the results are analysed for a period of follow-up of one year. The difference was significant even when both fatal and non-fatal infarctions were taken into account over the one-year period of follow-up (13% and 8%; P < 0.0001). The analysis shows that electrocardiographic ST-T changes are a risk factor for coronary events, but the results are conflicting for other possible risk factors. The selection of patients varies between the different studies, which probably contributes to the different results reported. Prospective studies with well defined groups of patients large enough to permit analysis of subgroupings will be needed to resolve the outstanding questions.
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2. |
- Thang, ND, et al.
(author)
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ECG signs of acute myocardial ischemiain the prehospital setting of a suspected acute coronary syndrome and its association with outcomes
- 2014
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In: American Journal of Emergency Medicine. - : W.B. Saunders Co.. - 0735-6757 .- 1532-8171. ; 32:6, s. 601-605
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AIMS: The aims of this study were (a) to determine the prehospital prevalence of electrocardiographic (ECG) signs of acute myocardial ischemia in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome and (b) to describe the relationships between the various ECG patterns and the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and outcomes. METHODS: Prospective cohort study using data from an interventional trial in acute chest pain patients transported by the emergency medical services. These patients were classified into 3 groups: patients with ECG showing signs of acute myocardial ischemia, patients with ECG showing other abnormal changes (bundle-branch block, pacemaker rhythm, Q-wave or T-wave inversion) and patients without significant pathologic findings. All P values are age-adjusted. RESULTS: Among 1546 patients, 312 (20%) had ECG signs of acute myocardial ischemia. Of them, 57% had a final diagnosis of AMI versus 26% of those with other abnormal ECGs and 12% of those with ECG without significant pathologic findings (P<.0001). In all, 53% of all AMI cases involved patients without ECG signs of acute myocardial ischemia. Although ECG signs of acute myocardial ischemia predicted heart failure and ventricular tachyarrhythmias both prior to and after hospital admission, there was no significant difference in 30-day mortality between the 3 patient groups (4.3%, 3.7%, and 1.2%, respectively, P=.11). CONCLUSION: Among patients with a clinical suspicion of AMI in the prehospital setting, the prevalence of ECG signs suggesting AMI was low, as was the ability to identify AMI patients using ECG findings only. We therefore need better instruments in the prehospital triage of patients with acute chest pain.
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4. |
- Blohm, M, et al.
(author)
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Reaction to a media campaign focusing on delay in acute myocardial infarction
- 1991
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In: Heart & Lung. - : Elsevier. - 0147-9563 .- 1527-3288. ; 20:6, s. 661-666
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A media campaign conducted to reduce delay time and to increase the use of ambulance transport in acute myocardial infarction was performed in an urban area with about half a million inhabitants during 1 year. The main message was that chest pain lasting more than 15 minutes might indicate acute myocardial infarction; dial 90,000 immediately for ambulance transport to the hospital. The target population was the general public. After 6 and 12 months 400 and 610 randomly chosen persons, respectively, were contacted by telephone to evaluate the reaction of the general public to the campaign. Of these, 60% and 71%, respectively, had heard of the campaign, and all parts of the message were spontaneously remembered by 15% and 19%, respectively. The reaction to the campaign was generally positive. Among all patients admitted to the coronary care unit of one of the two city hospitals, 65% were aware of the campaign and 31% of them were of the opinion that they came to the hospital faster because of the campaign. In conclusion, a media campaign aimed at reducing patient delay time in acute myocardial infarction was shown to reach a majority of people in the community and patients with ischemic heart disease. The reaction was positive and about one fifth of interviewed people spontaneously remembered the total message.
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6. |
- Dellborg, M, et al.
(author)
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Changes in the use of medication after acute myocardial infarction : Possible impact on post-myocardial infarction mortality and long-term outcome
- 2001
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In: Coronary Artery Disease. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0954-6928 .- 1473-5830. ; 12:1, s. 61-67
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To describe the change in the use of medication after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and discuss its possible impact on risk and risk indicators for death. Patients: All patients discharged alive after hospitalization for AMI at Sahlgrenska Hospital (covering half the community of Goteborg, i.e. 250 000 of 500 000 inhabitants) during 1986-1987 (period I) and at Sahlgrenska Hospital and Ostra Hospital (covering the whole community of Goteborg, 500 000 inhabitants) during 1990-1991 (period II). Methods: Overall mortality was retrospectively evaluated during 5 years of follow-up. Results: In all, 740 patients were included in the study during period I and 1448 during period II. The 5-year mortalities were 44.1% for period I patients and 39.3% for period II patients (P = 0.036). The relative risk of death for period II patients was 0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-0.89, P = 0.0005] after adjustment for differences at baseline. There was a significant interaction with a history of congestive heart failure; improvement in duration of survival was found only for patients without such a history. During period I, only 3% of patients were administered fibrinolytic agents, compared with 33% of patients during period II (P < 0.0001). During period I, aspirin was prescribed for 13% of patients discharged from hospital compared with 79% during period II. Other changes in treatment on going from period I to period II included increases in prescription of [beta]-blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. After adjustment for various risk indicators for death, relative risk of death for those administered fibrinolytic agents was 0.60 (95% CI 0.18-2.02) for patients in the period-I cohort and 0.68% (95% CI 0.51-0.91) for those in the period-II cohort. Adjusted relative risk of death for those prescribed aspirin upon discharge from hospital was 0.81 (95% CI 0.52-1.25) for period-I patients and 0.71 (95% CI 0.56-0.91) for period-II patients. The adjusted relative risk of death for those administered [beta]-blockers was 0.72 (95% CI 0.55-0.96) for period-I patients and 0.70 (95% CI 0.55-0.90) for period-II patients. Conclusion: Increased use of fibrinolytic agents and aspirin for AMI as well as a moderate increase in use of [beta]-blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors was associated with a parallel reduction in age-adjusted mortality during the 5 years after discharge from hospital. However, this improvement was seen only for patients without histories of congestive heart failure.
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7. |
- Hartford, M, et al.
(author)
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Components of delay time in suspected acute myocardinal infarction with particular emphasis on patient delay
- 1990
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In: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. - 0954-6820 .- 1365-2796. ; 228:5, s. 519-523
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two hundred and thirty-four patients admitted to a coronary care unit (CCU) were interviewed a few days after arrival in hospital to determine reasons for patient delay and the various components of total delay time from onset of symptoms to arrival in CCU. Of the three major components of delay, decision time (time from onset of symptoms to decision to go to hospital), and hospital procedure time (time from arrival in hospital to arrival in the CCU), were of the same magnitude, 1 h 15 min and 1 h 30 min (median), whereas the median time for preparation and transportation to hospital was somewhat shorter, being 45 min. Decision time appeared to be similar in patients with confirmed and non-confirmed acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and was not associated with intensity of pain or infarct size. Half of the patients hesitated to go to hospital, which resulted in a prolonged decision delay (3 h). It is concluded that patient indecision to seek medical help is the most important reason for delay in hospital arrival in patients with suspected AMI.
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- Herlitz, Johan, et al.
(author)
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A description of the characteristics and outcome of patients hospitalized for acute chest pain in relation to whether they were admitted to the coronary care unit or not in the thrombolytic era
- 2002
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In: International Journal of Cardiology. - : Elsevier Ireland Ltd. - 0167-5273 .- 1874-1754. ; 82:3, s. 279-287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- bjectives: To describe the characteristics and outcome of patients hospitalized for acute chest pain in relation to whether they were admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) or not. Design: Prospective observational study with a follow-up of 2 years. Setting: Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg, Sweden. Subjects: All patients hospitalized due to acute chest pain during 6 months. Main outcome measures: Mortality, use of medical resources, complications and previous history. Results: In all 1.592 patients were admitted to hospital for chest pain, of whom 1.136 (71%) were not directly admitted to the CCU. These patients differed from those directly admitted to the CCU, being older, including more women, having a higher prevalence of known congestive heart failure and a lower degree of initial suspicion of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Among all patients with confirmed AMI only 58% were directly admitted to CCU. Overall, the occurrence of complications and the use of medical resources were less frequent in the patients not admitted to the CCU. The mortality during the subsequent 2 years was 16.8% for patients not admitted to the CCU and 18.5% for patients admitted to the CCU. When adjusting for various factors at baseline, patients admitted to the CCU had a relative risk of death during 2 years of follow-up being 1.23 0.87–1.73 (P=0.24) as compared with those not admitted to the CCU. Conclusion: In a Swedish university hospital, more than two thirds of patients hospitalized for acute chest pain were not directly admitted to the CCU. They differed from those admitted to the CCU in several aspects. However, their unadjusted and adjusted mortality during the subsequent 2 years did not significantly differ from those admitted to CCU.
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9. |
- Herlitz, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Characteristics and outcome of patients with ST-elevation infarction in relation to whether they received thrombolysis or underwent acute coronary angiography : are we selecting the right patients for coronary angiography?
- 2003
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In: Clinical Cardiology. - : John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. - 0160-9289 .- 1932-8737. ; 26:2, s. 78-84
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: During the last decade, there has been an on-going debate with regard to whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or thrombolysis should be preferred in patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Some studies clearly advocate PCI, while others do not. HYPOTHESIS: The study aimed to describe the characteristics and to evaluate outcome of patients with suspected ST-elevation or left bundle-branch block infarction in relation to whether they received thrombolysis or had an acute coronary angiography aiming at angioplasty. METHODS: The study included all patients admitted to Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg, Sweden, with suspected acute myocardial infarction who, during 1995-1999, had ST-elevation or left bundle-branch block on admission electrocardiogram (ECG) requiring either thrombolysis or acute coronary angiography. A retrospective evaluation with a follow-up of 1 year after the intervention was made. RESULTS: In all, 413 patients had thrombolytic treatment and 400 had acute coronary angiography. The patients who received thrombolysis were older (mean age 70.3 vs. 64.1 years). Mortality during 1 year of follow-up was 20.9% in the thrombolysis group and 16.6% in the angiography group (p = 0.12). Among patients in whom acute coronary angiography was performed, only 85% underwent acute percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). There was a mortality of 12.1 vs. 41.7% among those who did not undergo acute PCI. Development of reinfarction, stroke, and requirement of rehospitalization was similar regardless of type of initial intervention. The thrombolysis group more frequently required new coronary angiography (36.9 vs. 20.6%; p<0.0001) and new PCI (17.8 vs. 11.9%; p = 0.01). Despite this, after 1 year symptoms of angina pectoris were observed in 27% of patients in the thrombolysis group and in only 14% of those in the angiography group (p = 0.0002). CONCLUSION: In a Swedish university hospital with a high volume of coronary angioplasty procedures, we found no significant difference in mortality between patients who had thrombolysis and those who underwent acute coronary angiography. However, requirement of revascularization and symptoms of angina pectoris 1 year later was considerably less frequent in those who had undergone acute coronary angiography. However, distribution of baseline characteristics was skewed and efforts should be focused on the selection of patients for the different reperfusion strategies.
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10. |
- Herlitz, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Death, mode of death, morbidity and requirement for rehospitalization during 2 years after coronary artery bypass grafting in relation to preoperative ejection fraction
- 1996
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In: Coronary Artery Disease. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0954-6928 .- 1473-5830. ; 7:11, s. 807-812
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of ejection fraction on the prognosis during 2 years after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). PATIENTS: All patients in western Sweden who underwent CABG without concomitant valve surgery between June 1988 and June 1991. RESULTS: In all, 2121 patients were operated upon and information on ejection fraction was available for 1961 patients (92%). Of these patients, 178 (9%) had an ejection fraction < 40%, 517 (26%) an ejection fraction of 40-59% and 1266 (65%) an ejection fraction > or = 60%. In these groups the mortalities during the first 30 days after CABG were 5.1, 4.3 and 2.2%, respectively (P < 0.01). The corresponding values for mortalities between 30 days and 2 years were 7.7, 4.3 and 3.3%, respectively (P < 0.01). Patients with a lower ejection fraction were more frequently men and more frequently had a history of cardiovascular disease. In multivariate analysis the preoperative ejection fraction was an independent predictor for total 2-year mortality. Patients with a low ejection fraction died more frequently in association with ventricular fibrillation. Morbidity was, with the exception of that for rehospitalization due to heart failure and infection, not associated significantly with the preoperative ejection fraction. CONCLUSION: During the 2 years after CABG a low preoperative ejection fraction was associated with a higher mortality, but the association with morbidity was more complex.
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