Trends in clinical outcomes and survival following prehospital thrombolytic therapy given by ambulance clinicians for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in rural sub-arctic Norway

• Published in: European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care
• Main Authors: Mannsverk, Jan, Steigen, Terje, Wang, Harald, Tande, Pål Morten, Dahle, Birgitte Mannsverk, Nedrejord, Maret Lajla, Hokland, Ida Olsen, Gilbert, Mads
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2017
• Subjects: Arctic; Norway
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2048872617748550; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2048872617748550; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/2048872617748550

Background: Prehospital thrombolytic therapy given by ambulance emergency medical services to patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) may produce earlier reperfusion than percutaneous coronary intervention. Clinical results from prehospital thrombolytic therapy in rural areas are scarce. Methods: We studied outcomes during 11 years of a prehospital thrombolytic therapy system in rural sub-arctic Norway. Ambulance personnel gave protocol basic treatment and transmitted electrocardiograms to hospital physicians who made the decision for prehospital thrombolytic therapy. The study was divided into three time periods; 2000–2003, 2004–2007 and 2008–2011. Results: A total of 385 STEMI patients received prehospital thrombolytic therapy, median patient age was 61.2 years, and 77% were men. Time saved by prehospital reperfusion therapy was 131 minutes. The proportion who got prehospital thrombolytic therapy within 2 hours of symptom onset increased from 21% in 2000–2003 to 39% in 2008–2011 ( P=0.003). The proportion who underwent coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention within 24 hours of first medical contact increased from 56.4% to 95.4% ( P<0.001). Post-STEMI systolic heart failure decreased from 19.4% to 8.1% ( P=0.02), while 1-year mortality fell, non-significantly, by 50% over time to reach 5.6%. Thirteen patients suffered acute out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; all were successfully defibrillated. Ten patients had major bleeding events (2.6%). Conclusion: A decentralised prehospital thrombolytic therapy system based on ambulance personnel, telemetry and centralised 7/24 invasive diagnosis and treatment service, combined with system maturation over time, was associated with earlier reperfusion, improved clinical outcomes and better survival. Prehospital thrombolytic therapy is a feasible and safe intervention used in rural settings with long evacuation lines to percutaneous coronary intervention facilities.