Delay and hospitalisation with acute myocardial infarction.

We examined patient behaviour and the components of delay to hospitalisation in 149 consecutive cases of proven acute myocardial infarction (AMI) prospectively. The median total delay from onset of chest pain to hospitalisation was 210 mns (range 5 mns to 7 days). The median delay before seeking medical help was 105 mns. Seventy-eight patients (52%) contacted a G.P. Median delay to G.P. contact was 15 mns. The median delay in transportation to hospital was 20 mns. There was no evident diurnal variation in the onset of symptoms. There was no significant differences in help seeking delay between the sexes, between young and old or between those with a previous history of ischaemic heart disease similar to studies in the U.S. and U.K. Patient delay to seeking help remains the major and most crucial component of delay in treating AMI.