EARLY MANAGEMENT OF ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION - THROMBOLYSIS, ANGIOPLASTY, AND ADJUNCTIVE THERAPIES

Early identification and treatment, including administration of intrav enous thrombolytics, coronary angioplasty, and adjunctive therapies, h as been shown to benefit patients who present with acute myocardial in farction. However, only a small percentage of these patients receive s uch therapies because of late presentation, associated risks, and cont roversies surrounding certain myocardial infarct subsets, The logistic s involved in carrying out these treatments have resulted in unnecessa ry prehospital and in-hospital delays, These issues make essential the availability of a streamlined protocol that should be updated at regu lar intervals to ensure that these time-dependent therapies are more r outinely and rapidly utilized, This article discusses these topics in conceptual format and provides a ready-to use protocol. (Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company)