AUTHOR=Roriz Pollianna Souza , Ferreira Isabella Bonifácio Brige , Pontes Fabiana Benevides , Machado Antônio , Aguiar Tércio Caires , Matos Marcos Antônio Almeida , Paiva Filho Ivan Mattos , Menezes Rodrigo Carvalho , Andrade Bruno Bezerril 

TITLE=Advancements in reperfusion rates and quality of care for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a ten-year evaluation of Salvador's STEMI network

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2024.1381504

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2024.1381504

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Background: Continuous investment and systematic evaluation of program accomplishments are required to achieve excellence in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care, especially in resourcelimited settings. Therefore, this study evaluates the impact of problem-driven interventions on reperfusion use rate in a long-term operating STEMI network from a low-to middle-income country. Methods: This is a healthcare improvement evaluation study of Salvador's public STEMI network in a quasi-experimental design, comparing data from 2009-2010 (pre-intervention) and 2019-2020 (post-intervention). There were evaluated all confirmed STEMI cases assisted in both periods. The interventions, implemented since 2017, included: expanding the support team, defining criteria to be a spoke, and initiating continuous education activities. The primary outcome was the rate of patients undergoing reperfusion, with secondary outcomes being time from door-to-ECG (D2E) and ECG-to-STEMI-team trigger (E2T). Results: Over ten years, the network's coverage increased by 300,000 individuals, and expanded by 1,800 km 2 . A total of 885 records were analyzed, 287 in the pre-intervention group (182 men [63•4%]; mean [SD] age 62•1 [12•5] years) and 598 in the postintervention group (356 men [59•5%]; mean [SD] age 61.9 [11•8] years). It was noticed a substantial increase in reperfusion delivery rate (90 [31%] vs. 431 [73%]; P=•001) and reductions in time from D2E (159 [83-340]      vs. 29 , P=•001), and E2T (31 [21-44] vs. 16 [6-40], P=•001). Conclusion: The strategies adopted by Salvador's STEMI network were associated with significant improvements in the rate of patients undergoing reperfusion and in D2E and E2T. However, the mortality rate remains high.