Thrombolytic therapy and acute myocardial infarction at the Military Hospital of Matanzas

Introduction: Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Cuba. Objectives: To identify clinical and epidemiological characteristics in patients with acute myocardial infarction and its link with thrombolysis. Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed at the Military Hospital of Matanzas, in the period between January 2011 and January 2013. The study group was 96 patients with electrocardiogram diagnosis of ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction. Results: There was a predominance of males (61.6%), and patients between 65 and 74 years (39.6%) were the most affected age group. Hypertension was the leading risk factor found (71.9%). In 60.2% of patients who received thrombolytic therapy, door-to-needle time was between 30 and 60 minutes, and most of them [34 (35.4%)] arrived at the hospital within 2 to 6 hours from the onset of symptoms. Pain relief and ST return occurred in 100% of effective thrombolysis. The most common reason for lack of thrombolysis was the progress of the condition of more than 12 hours, and 33.3% of patients who did not receive thrombolytic therapy died. Conclusions: Males, ages between 65 and 74, and high blood pressure predominate. Most of patients received thrombolysis, had pain-to-door time between 3-6 hours, and door-to-needle time between 30-60 minutes. Hypotension was the most frequent complication during thrombolysis. This procedure was not performed when pain-to-door time was longer than 12 hours, where deaths predominated. Timely thrombolysis remains the main tool to increase the survival in patients with acute myocardial infarction, in hospitals without percutaneous coronary intervention.