September 10, 2014European Heart Journal Acute Cardiovascular Care
Contemporary inter-hospital transfer patterns for the management of acute coronary syndrome patients: Findings from the EPICOR study
Key result
Inter-hospital transfer is linked to a ~2.5-hour delay in STEMI catheterization versus non-transferred patients.
- n=10,568
Study Design
Type
Observational (n=10,568)
Multicenter
Yes
Structured PICO
P
Population
10,568 consecutively discharged patients with ST-elevation or non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome from 555 centres across Europe and Latin America.
E
Exposure
Inter-hospital transfer (transferred in or transferred out)
C
Comparator
Non-transferred patients
O
Outcome
Inter-hospital transfer patterns, reasons for transfer, and time to catheterization
Inter-hospital transfer is common in ACS management, primarily driven by the need for catheterization facilities, but is associated with longer times to catheterization in STEMI patients.
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Inter-hospital transfers reflect resource gaps in ACS; leaves open whether patterns affect outcomes.
Cite This Study
Sinnaeve et al. (2014) conducted an observational in Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (n=10,568). Inter-hospital transfer vs. Non-transferred patients was evaluated on Time from symptom onset to catheterization in STEMI patients. Inter-hospital transfer occurred in one-third of ACS patients and was associated with longer time from symptom onset to catheterization in STEMI (median 5.9-6.3 h vs 3.5 h for non-transferred).