Browsing by Subject "Myocardial Infarction"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Door-to-needle time for administration of fibrinolytics in acute myocardial infarction in Cape Town
    (2012) Maharaj, Roshen C; Geduld, Heike; Wallis, Lee A
    OBJECTIVES: To determine the current door-to-needle time for the administration of fibrinolytics for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in emergency centres (ECs) at three hospitals in Cape Town, and to compare it with the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) recommendation of 30 minutes as a marker of quality of care. METHODS: A retrospective review of case notes from January 2008 to July 2010 of all patients receiving thrombolytics for AMI in the ECs of three Cape Town hospitals. The total door-to-needle time was calculated and patient demographics and presentation, physician qualification, clinical symptomology and reasons for delays in thromobolytic administration were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 372 patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were identified; 161 patients were eligible for the study. The median door-to-needle time achieved was 54 minutes (range 13 - 553 mins). A door-to-needle time of 30 minutes or less was achieved in 33 (20.5%) patients; 51.3% of the patients arrived by ambulance; 34% of patients had a pre-hospital 12-lead ECG; and 88.8% had typical symptoms of myocardial infarction. Medical officers administered thrombolytics to 44.7% of the patients. The predominant infarct location on ECG was inferior (55.9%). CONCLUSION: A significant number of patients were not thrombolysed within 30 minutes of presentation. The lack of senior doctors, difficulty interpreting ECGs, atypical presentations and EC system delays prolonged the door-to-needle time in this study.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Long-Term Left Ventricular Remodelling in Rat Model of Nonreperfused Myocardial Infarction: Sequential MR Imaging Using a 3T Clinical Scanner
    (2012) Saleh, Muhammad G; Sharp, Sarah-Kate; Alhamud, Alkathafi; Spottiswoode, Bruce S; van der Kouwe, André J W; Davies, Neil H; Franz, Thomas; Meintjes, Ernesta M
    Purpose. To evaluate whether 3T clinical MRI with a small-animal coil and gradient-echo (GE) sequence could be used to characterize long-term left ventricular remodelling (LVR) following nonreperfused myocardial infarction (MI) using semi-automatic segmentation software (SASS) in a rat model. Materials and Methods. 5 healthy rats were used to validate left ventricular mass (LVM) measured by MRI with postmortem values. 5 sham and 7 infarcted rats were scanned at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery to allow for functional and structural analysis of the heart. Measurements included ejection fraction (EF), end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), and LVM. Changes in different regions of the heart were quantified using wall thickness analyses. Results. LVM validation in healthy rats demonstrated high correlation between MR and postmortem values. Functional assessment at 4 weeks after MI revealed considerable reduction in EF, increases in ESV, EDV, and LVM, and contractile dysfunction in infarcted and noninfarcted regions. Conclusion. Clinical 3T MRI with a small animal coil and GE sequence generated images in a rat heart with adequate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for successful semiautomatic segmentation to accurately and rapidly evaluate long-term LVR after MI.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    The pharmacoeconomics of routine postoperative troponin surveillance to prevent and treat myocardial infarction after non-cardiac surgery
    (2014) Torborg, Alex; Ryan, Lisa; Kantor, Gary; Biccard, Bruce M
    BACKGROUND: A postoperative troponin leak that was previously considered clinically insignificant has been independently associated with 30-day mortality in unselected surgical patients 45 years of age following non-cardiac surgery. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether routine troponin surveillance following non-cardiac surgery and initiation of aspirin and statin therapy in troponin-positive patients is cost-effective. METHODS: Pharmacoeconomic analysis to determine the cost-effectiveness of routine postoperative surveillance for patients aged 45 years undergoing non-cardiac surgery. We compared the total expected cost of hospital care of patients who received routine troponin surveillance and subsequent introduction of statin and aspirin therapy for 30 days in troponin-positive patients with the cost of hospital care of patients who did not receive troponin surveillance. We estimated a 25% relative risk reduction following statin and aspirin therapy for postoperative vascular mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Routine troponin surveillance with initiation of aspirin and statin therapy was cost-effective, with an incremental cost of -R16 724 per event avoided. CONCLUSION: Routine postoperative troponin surveillance in non-cardiac surgical patients 45 years of age requiring a postoperative night in hospital is potentially cost-effective.