Association of sex and age and delay predictors on the time of primary angioplasty activation for myocardial infarction patients in an emergency department

Abstract

Background: Time between Emergency Department (ED) and ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) activation time is a good indicator of ED quality. STEMI delays are of particular importance in some subgroups, such as women and the elderly. Objective: To determine the association of sex and age with activation time in STEMI patients admitted to the ED. Methods: An observational retrospective study was conducted including all patients admitted to the ED activated as a STEMI. The main variable was activation time. To evaluate the independent predictors of activation time, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out, variables were sex, age, sex and age combined, chest pain, ST elevation in the electrocardiogram, and first medical contact (FMC) at the hospital's ED. Results: A total of 330 patients were included. They were classified by sex: 23.9% (78) women and 76.1% (249) men; and age: 51.1% (167) <65 yo and 48.9% (160) ≥65 yo. Women and elderly patients exhibited a more atypical presentation. Multivariate analysis shows that showed that elderly age (OR=1.976 95%; CI=1.257–3.104; p = 0.003) and FMC prior to attending the ED (OR=1.762; 95% CI=1.117–2.779; p = 0.015) were associated with a longer activation time. Women older than 65 years old showed the longest activation time. Conclusion: STEMI delays are longer in women and the elderly with atypical presentation. Age ≥65 and FMC outside the ED were associated with an increase in the activation time. This highlights the need to develop strategies to improve activation time for these specific patient groups.