Pre-hospital delay among patients with acute myocardial infarction

Objective(s): To determine the prevalence and predictors of patient delay among patients with myocardial infarction. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 95 admitted patients with confirmed diagnosis of myocardial infarction were included. They were asked about symptoms, the time from presentation to admission and the reason for delay, if any. Delay was defined as arrival to hospital after 3 hours from initiation of symptoms. Results: The mean age of patients was 60.4±1.1 years and mostly were male (76.8%). Half of the patients had visited the doctor 9 hours after the pain started or later (median). About 70 percent of patients had delayed seeking medical care after myocardial infarction. The risk factors for delay in the descending order of importance (OR) were: lacking sweat as a symptom, heart attack at midnight, lacking previous history of heart disease, visiting a general practitioner, gradual onset and lower educational level. Conclusion: Education of the general public especially individuals with lower educational status can lead to better recognition of symptoms and decrease patient delay.