A race for the base: ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction systems of care in low- and middle-income countries

Implementation of a hub and spoke STEMI Goa project - Initial results, gains and challenges

OBJECTIVES

To study the impact of a 'hub and spoke' STEMI management programme on delivery of thrombolysis in the state of Goa.

METHODS

A prospective observational study was conducted to assess the 'hub and spoke' model STEMI programme in the state of Goa. Data was collected using predesigned proformas filled at Primary Health Centres or District Hospitals which served as the spokes. Primary programme efficacy outcomes studied were the proportion of eligible patients of STEMI receiving thrombolysis and the time to thrombolysis. Secondary outcome assessed was in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 2050 number of patients were diagnosed with STEMI between November 2019 and March 2022, of which complete data was available for 1325 patients. After ruling out contraindications, delayed presentations or refusal for treatment, 74.3 % of STEMI patients received thrombolysis. The median window period was 130.83 min with an interquartile range (IQR) of 159.63 min. The median time from presentation to recording ECG was 7.9 (IQR = 11.63) minutes and presentation to cloud diagnosis was 11.78 (IQR = 12.96) minutes. The median time from presentation to administering thrombolysis (Door to Needle time) was 18.48 (IQR = 28.85) minutes. Only 0.22 % patients received inappropriate thrombolysis and the in-hospital mortality was 9.4 %.

CONCLUSION

A STEMI programme utilizing the existing manpower and primary health care setup improved 'secondary' level of care to patients by providing thrombolysis to a high percentage of patients in quick time. This may serve as a model to improve the outreach of reperfusion therapy in a resource challenged country like India.

Impact of ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Regionalization Programs on the Treatment and Outcomes of Patients Diagnosed With Non-ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background Many communities have implemented systems of regionalized care to improve access to timely care for patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. However, patients who are ultimately diagnosed with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarctions (NSTEMIs) may also be affected, and the impact of regionalization programs on NSTEMI treatment and outcomes is unknown. We set out to determine the effects of ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction regionalization schemes on treatment and outcomes of patients diagnosed with NSTEMIs. Methods and Results The cohort included all patients receiving care in emergency departments diagnosed with an NSTEMI at all nonfederal hospitals in California from January 1, 2005 to September 30, 2015. Data were analyzed using a difference-in-differences approach. The main outcomes were 1-year mortality and angiography within 3 days of the index admission. A total of 293 589 patients with NSTEMIs received care in regionalized and nonregionalized communities. Over the study period, rates of early angiography increased by 0.5 and mortality decreased by 0.9 percentage points per year among the overall population (95% CI, 0.4-0.6 and -1.0 to -0.8, respectively). Regionalization was not associated with early angiography (-0.5%; 95% CI, -1.1 to 0.1) or death (0.2%; 95% CI, -0.3 to 0.8). Conclusions ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction regionalization programs were not statistically associated with changes in guideline-recommended early angiography or changes in risk of death for patients with NSTEMI. Increases in the proportion of patients with NSTEMI who underwent guideline-directed angiography and decreases in risk of mortality were accounted for by secular trends unrelated to regionalization policies.

Resource and Infrastructure-Appropriate Management of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

The 143 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) of the world constitute 80% of the world's population or roughly 5.86 billion people with much variation in geography, culture, literacy, financial resources, access to health care, insurance penetration, and healthcare regulation. Unfortunately, their burden of cardiovascular disease in general and acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in particular is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Compounding the problem, outcomes remain suboptimal because of a lack of awareness and a severe paucity of resources. Guideline-based treatment has dramatically improved the outcomes of STEMI in high-income countries. However, no such focused recommendations exist for LMICs, and the unique challenges in LMICs make directly implementing Western guidelines unfeasible. Thus, structured solutions tailored to their individual, local needs, and resources are a vital need. With this in mind, a multicountry collaboration of investigators interested in LMIC STEMI care have tried to create a consensus document that extracts transferable elements from Western guidelines and couples them with local realities gathered from expert experience. It outlines general operating principles for LMICs focused best practices and is intended to create the broad outlines of implementable, resource-appropriate paradigms for management of STEMI in LMICs. Although this document is focused primarily on governments and organizations involved with improvement in STEMI care in LMICs, it also provides some specific targeted information for the frontline clinicians to allow standardized care pathways and improved outcomes.

A System of Care for Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in India: The Tamil Nadu-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Program

Importance

Challenges to improving ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care are formidable in low- to middle-income countries because of several system-level factors.

Objective

To examine access to reperfusion and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during STEMI using a hub-and-spoke model.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This multicenter, prospective, observational study of a quality improvement program studied 2420 patients 20 years or older with symptoms or signs consistent with STEMI at primary care clinics, small hospitals, and PCI hospitals in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. Data were collected from the 4 clusters before implementation of the program (preimplementation data). We required a minimum of 12 weeks for the preimplementation data with the period extending from August 7, 2012, through January 5, 2013. The program was then implemented in a sequential manner across the 4 clusters, and data were collected in the same manner (postimplementation data) from June 12, 2013, through June 24, 2014, for a mean 32-week period.

Exposures

Creation of an integrated, regional quality improvement program that linked the 35 spoke health care centers to the 4 large PCI hub hospitals and leveraged recent developments in public health insurance schemes, emergency medical services, and health information technology.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Primary outcomes focused on the proportion of patients undergoing reperfusion, timely reperfusion, and postfibrinolysis angiography and PCI. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital and 1-year mortality.

Results

A total of 2420 patients with STEMI (2034 men [84.0%] and 386 women [16.0%]; mean [SD] age, 54.7 [12.2] years) (898 in the preimplementation phase and 1522 in the postimplementation phase) were enrolled, with 1053 patients (43.5%) from the spoke health care centers. Missing data were common for systolic blood pressure (213 [8.8%]), heart rate (223 [9.2%]), and anterior MI location (279 [11.5%]). Overall reperfusion use and times to reperfusion were similar (795 [88.5%] vs 1372 [90.1%]; P = .21). Coronary angiography (314 [35.0%] vs 925 [60.8%]; P < .001) and PCI (265 [29.5%] vs 707 [46.5%]; P < .001) were more commonly performed during the postimplementation phase. In-hospital mortality was not different (52 [5.8%] vs 85 [5.6%]; P = .83), but 1-year mortality was lower in the postimplementation phase (134 [17.6%] vs 179 [14.2%]; P = .04), and this difference remained consistent after multivariable adjustment (adjusted odds ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.58-0.98; P = .04).

Conclusions and Relevance

A hub-and-spoke model in South India improved STEMI care through greater use of PCI and may improve 1-year mortality. This model may serve as an example for developing STEMI systems of care in other low- to middle-income countries.