Door-to-balloon Time in Cardiovascular Emergency Care in a Hospital of Northern Brazil

Abstract

Background

The use of an adequate door-to-balloon time (≤ 90 minutes) is crucial in improving the quality of care provided to patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Objective

To determine the door-to-balloon time in the management of STEMI patients in a cardiovascular emergency department in a hospital of northern Brazil.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study based on review of medical records. A total of 109 patients with STEMI admitted to the emergency department of a referral cardiology hospital in Pará State, Brazil, between May 2017 and December 2017. Correlations of the door-to-balloon time with length of hospital stay and mortality rate were assessed, as well as whether the time components of the door-to-balloon time affected the delay in performing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Quantitative variables were analyzed by Spearman correlation and the G test was used for categorical variables. A p<0.05 was set as statistically significant.

Results

Median door-to-balloon time was 104 minutes. No significant correlation was found between door-to-balloon time and length of hospital stay or deaths, but significant correlations were found between door-to-balloon time and door-to-ECG time (p<0.001) and ECG-to-activation (of an interventional cardiologist) time (p<0.001).

Conclusion

The door-to-balloon time was longer the recommended and was not correlated with the length of hospital stay or in-hospital mortality. Door-to-ECG time and ECG-to-activation time contributed to the delay in performing the primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2020; [online].ahead print, PP.0-0

Myocardial Infarction; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; Admitting Department, Hospital; Time to Treatment; Quality Indicators; Health Care