RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: ESC guidelines recommend a shorter (90 min) delay for the use of primary percutaneous intervention (pPCI) in patients presenting within the first 2h of pain onset. Using registry data on STEMI patients in the Greater Paris Area, we assessed changes between 2003 and 2008 in the rates of pPCI, pre-hospital fibrinolytic therapy (PHF) and time delays in patients presenting within 2h of STEMI pain onset. METHODS: The Greater Paris Area was divided in 3 regions: Paris, the small and large rings. Patients were divided in three groups according to their reperfusion strategy: a) PHF, b) timely pPCI (FMC to balloon inflation time < 90 min), and c) late pPCI (FMC to balloon inflation time > 90 min). RESULTS: Among the 5592 patients included, 1695 (39%) had PHF, 1266 (29%) had timely pPCI, and 1415 (32%) had late pPCI. Over the 6 years, there was a sharp increase in timely pPCI in all regions, balanced by a decrease in PHF. The rate of late pPCI remained globally stable, with a decrease in Paris, stabilization in the small ring, and an increase in the large ring, where the density of catheterization laboratories was the lowest. By multivariate analysis, using on-time pPCI as a reference group, mortality was higher in the PHF and late pPCI groups. CONCLUSIONS: In areas with a low density of pPCI centers, efforts should be made to improve the timeliness of pPCI. Otherwise, PHF followed by an immediate transfer to a pPCI capable hospital may be considered.