Comparability of quality-of-care indicators for emergency coronary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction regardless of on-site cardiac surgery (report from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction).

Initial reports have suggested that primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can be performed safely in selected hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery; however, quality-of-care indicators for primary PCI in these institutions is unknown. Therefore, symptom onset-to-door intervals, door-to-balloon times, compliance with American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) management guidelines, and in-hospital mortality were evaluated in 108,132 patients in 3 hospital settings in the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction: (1) diagnostic laboratories only (n = 47), (2) elective PCI only (n = 50), and (3) elective PCI and cardiac surgery (n = 562). Mean symptom onset-to-door intervals (127 minutes, 95% confidence interval 118 to135; 134 minutes, 95% confidence interval 125 to 142; and 140 minutes, 95% confidence intervals 138 to 141; p = 0.01) and door-to-balloon intervals (104 minutes, 95% confidence interval 101 to 108; 116 minutes, 95% confidence interval 112 to 119; and 119 minutes, 95% confidence interval 118 to 120; p <0.0001) were shorter in hospitals without cardiac surgery. Adherence to ACC/AHA guidelines for medications within the first 24 hours (aspirin, beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) was greater in hospitals without cardiac surgery. There were comparable in-hospital mortality rates (3.2%, 4.2%, and 4.8%, respectively; p = 0.07) for patients with similar Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction risk scores; however, 4.7% of patients treated with primary PCI in hospitals without cardiac surgery were transferred to another institution. Thus, hospitals performing primary PCI without on-site cardiac surgery that participated in this registry have quality-of-care indicators and adherence to ACC/AHA management guidelines that are comparable to hospitals with on-site cardiac surgery. The lack of on-site cardiac surgery does not appear to adversely affect quality-of-care indicators in primary PCI.