Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of acute myocardial infarction in a referral peruvian hospital.

To determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with acute myocardial infarc tion, a descriptive study was conducted in 175 patients in a referral hospital in Lima. The average age of the patients was 68.7 ± 10.8 years and 74.8% were male. The main reperfusion strategy used was percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty + stent, however, the use of primary angioplasty was low (19.5% of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction). Time to reperfusion therapies (angio plasty or fibrinolysis) were longer than recommended and the percentage of surgical revascularization was high. Almost 60% of the patients had a length of stay longer than seven days. In-hospital mortality was 3.4%, with cardiogenic shock being the most frequent cause of death. Myocardial infarction mainly affects men over 60 years, the clinical and epidemiological variables are like other regional reports. The main reperfusion strategy is angioplasty, although the use of primary angioplasty is low. Time to perfor ming reperfusion is longer than recommended and the percentage of surgical revascularization is high.