Primary PCI and the role of the ‘thrombolysis nurse’: Threat or opportunity?

While particular titles and job roles vary, acute cardiac nurses or ‘thrombolysis nurses’ have been highly influential in ensuring patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction receive thrombolysis therapy with the minimum delay. If primary percutaneous coronary intedrvention (PCI) replaces thrombolysis as the chief reperfusion treatment in the UK in future—which seems likely—then this will inevitably have implications for those nurses for whom thrombolysis activity is a key responsibility. This paper explores some of these issues and discusses potential opportunities related to this change in reperfusion services.