OBJECTIVETo explore the characteristics and therapies of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Wuxi city, China.

METHODSA network was established to obtain information of patients with AMI who were admitted to 9 designated hospitals between 2011 and 2012. A total of 1 714 patients were enrolled (1 334 males, 754 smokers, 1 076 hypertension, 270 hyperlipidemia and 398 diabetes) including 1 410 patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 304 patients with acute non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Patients' characteristics, therapies, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and all-cause mortality were analyzed.

RESULTS(1) Medication therapy was as follows: antiplatelet therapy 98.3% (1 685 cases) , beta-blockers 59.1% (1 013 cases) , ACEI or ARB 67.6% (1 159 cases) , statins 98.1% (1 682 cases) , and nitrates 71.1% (1 218 cases) . Of the patients, 7.1% (132 cases) received temporary pacemakers, 34.0% (480 cases) with acute STEMI underwent reperfusion [direct PCI 18.4% (260 cases) and thrombolysis 15.6% (220 cases)]. (2) According to the hospital admission data, patients were divided into three groups: group A, transported to the hospital by ambulance (n = 361); group B, transported to the hospital by private vehicles (n = 1 318); and group C, AMI occurred in the hospital (n = 35). The median time of AMI onset to physician contact of the 3 groups was 178 min, 368 min, and 9 min, respectively. The median time from AMI onset to the first ECG was 181 min, 379 min, and 10 min, respectively. The median time from AMI onset to cardiology specialist consultation was 187 min, 431 min, and 69 min, respectively. AMI onset-to-physician contact, AMI onset-to-first ECG, and AMI onset-to-specialized treatment time was the shortest in group C, followed by group A and group B. For patients with STEMI underwent reperfusion therapy, the median AMI onset-to-reperfusion therapy time was significantly shorter in group A patients than group B patients [thrombolysis group: 224(171, 514) min vs. 378 (158, 785) min, PCI group: 318 (154, 674) min vs. 489 (143, 816) min, all P < 0.05]. (3) The total incidence of MACEs was 16.3% (279/1 714), the all-cause in-hospital mortality rate was 13.1% (224/1 714). According to the AMI onset-to-physician contact, patients were divided into 4 groups: <3 h, 3-6 h, 6-12 h, and >12 h. The incidence of MACEs [4.4% (23/517), 13.3% (60/451), 19.1% (77/404) and 34.8% (119/342),χ(2) = 114.36, P < 0.01] and all-cause in-hospital mortality rate [4.1% (21/517) , 10.4% (47/451), 18.6% (75/404), 23.7% (81/342), χ(2) = 84.36, P < 0.01] increased in proportion to the time of AMI onset-to-physician contact. Among STEMI patients, the incidence of MACEs [5.8% (15/260) , 12.3% (27/220) , 20.9% (194/930) ,χ(2) = 39.93, P < 0.01] and all-cause in-hospital mortality [1.5% (4/260) , 10.0% (22/220) , 18.2% (170/930) ,χ(2) = 50.90, P < 0.01] was the lowest in the primary PCI group, followed by thrombolysis group and was the highest in the early conservative treatment group.

CONCLUSIONSGuideline is well followed in terms of drug treatments of AMI in this cohort, but only a small proportion of AMI patients in Wuxi received reperfusion therapy. There is a considerable out-of-hospital time delay for AMI patients in this cohort which is shorter in group A than in group B. All-cause in-hospital mortality and MACEs is the lowest in AMI patients underwent primary PCI.