Characterization and referral patterns of ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients admitted to chest pain units rather than directly to catherization laboratories : Data from the German Chest Pain Unit Registry

Abstract Background Direct transfer to the catheterization laboratory for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is standard of care for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Nevertheless, a significant number of STEMI-patients are initially treated in chest pain units (CPUs) of admitting hospitals. Thus, it is important to characterize these patients and to define why an important deviation from recommended clinical pathways occurs and in particular to quantify the impact of deviation on critical time intervals. Methods and results 1679 STEMI patients admitted to a CPU in the period from 2010 to 2015 were enrolled in the German CPU registry (8.5% of 19…