Behavior of delay times in thrombolytic treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction

Introduction: Occlusion of a coronary artery leads to cell death in a period of time ranging from 4-12 hours, this is a dynamic process that can be modified with the restoration of blood flow in the infarct-related vessel; hence the importance of the 'time' factor. Objective: To determine the delay times in the application of the thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Method: A prospective longitudinal descriptive study was carried out, including 579 patients diagnosed with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who received thrombolytic therapy at the Hospital General Docente Martin Chang Puga in Nuevitas, Camaguey, Cuba; from January 2000 to December 2019. Demographic variables (age and gender) as well as delay times in the application of thrombolysis were assessed. Results: The predominant age group was 56 to 65 years old (35.2%) as well as males (60.3). Predominant delay times were: patient-time more than two hours, door-to-needle time between 6-12 hours (30.7%), pre-hospital care between 61-180 minutes (56.8%), pain-to-needle time more than 12 hours (34.9%) and overall time to thrombolysis between 6 -12 hours (43.2%). Conclusions: Delay times in the application of the thrombolytic treatment were, in general, abnormally high. Only in a small percentage of patients it was performed within the first two hours after symptoms onset.