Short-term mortality and complications in ST elevation myocardial infarction--the Heart Hospital experience.

The mortality rate of acute myocardial infarction has declined considerably in the past three decades. In view of paucity of literature from different centres from India on this issue, the present study was undertaken to determine the in-hospital mortality with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction presenting to a tertiary care cardiac centre in India. Consecutive patients (n=862) with the diagnosis of acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction admitted in Heart Hospital, Patna between June 2003 and July 2006 were included in this study. The in-hospital mortality and event rates (reinfarction, recurrent angina and heart failure) were analysed. The mean age of study population was 56 +/- 13 years. There were 690 males (80.05%) and 172 females (19.95%); 468 patients (54.29%) had hypertension, 384 patients (44.55%) were diabetic, 415 (48.14%) were smokers/tobacco chewers and 154 patients (17.86%) had past history of myocardial infarction. Anterior wall infarction was present in 435 patients (50.46%), 408 patients (47.33%) had inferior wall infarction, 115 patients (13.34%) had associated right ventricular or posterior wall infarction and 19 (2.20%) had antero-inferior infarction; 346 patients (40.14%) received thrombolytic therapy while the other patients were not thrombolysed due to various reasons (usually late arrival). The mean duration between symptom onset and hospital admission was 29.2. +/- 10.8 hours in the entire group (8.6 +/- 2.8 hours in the thrombolysed group). Of the total 862 patients, 107 patients (12.41%) died during in-hospital stay while 755 patients were discharged from the hospital in stable condition after a mean stay of 7.1 +/- 1.8 days. The in-hospital mortality rate of acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction in this study was 12.41%, which is comparable to reports from the west. However the revascularisation rate (thrombolysis or PTCA) remained low and most patients received thrombolysis late.