Expert Committee
Alexander Battler, Chairperson
D. Hasdai, S. Behar, L. Wallentin, N. Danchin, A. K. Gitt, E. Boersma, P. M. Fioretti, M. L. Simoons
Protocol Summary
Myocardial infarction and unstable angina (Acute Coronary Syndromes – ACS) are major causes of death and disability and require extensive health care expenditure.
Surveys on ACS have been performed in a few countries in Europe, such as Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands, concentrating on myocardial infarction.
This survey expands this to patients admitted with acute coronary syndromes of all kinds, including unstable angina and suspected non-Q infarction.
The purpose of this survey was to assess the following:
- Time interval between onset of symptoms and hospital arrival
- Time interval between hospital arrival and initiation of reperfusion therapy
- Proportion of patients that received prehospital reperfusion therapy
- Proportion of patients with ST segment elevation on admission that received reperfusion therapy
- Proportion of patients that underwent earlier PTCA or bypass surgery, and after which relapse time
Medication used in patients with acute coronary syndrome, including heparin, aspirin, low molecular weight heparin, platelet IIb/IIIa blockers, ticlopidin, clopidogrel, betablockers, nitrates and calcium channel blockers
- Proportion of patients that received prehospital aspirin Proportion of patients that received primary PTCA
- Proportion of patients discharged with betablockers, ACE inhibitors and statins
- Proportion of patients with acute MI that required a temporary pacemaker
- Proportion of patients that required invasive monitoring Proportion of patients that required an intra aortic balloon counter pulsation
- Proportion of patients that initially were hospitalized in a CCU Proportion of patients that underwent echocardiography, stress testing, angiography, PTCA or by-pass surgery during hospitalization
- Recommendations at hospital discharge
One year follow up (survival, myocardial infarction, PTCA, surgery).
References
The 
Main Manuscript reporting the results of this survey was published in Euro Heart Journal.
Review all Euro Heart Survey publications on ACS.