New Guidelines Define State-of-the-Art STEMI Care

December 17th, 2012

New Guidelines Define State-of-the-Art STEMI Care

Larry Husten, PHD

New guidelines published online today in Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provide an efficient overview of the best treatments for STEMI patients. (Available for download are PDFs of the full version [64 pages] or the executive summary [27 pages] of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.)

“We’re looking to a future where more patients survive with less heart damage and function well for years thereafter,” said Patrick O’Gara, the chair of the guidelines writing committee, in a press release. “We hope the guidelines will clarify best practices for healthcare providers across the continuum of care of STEMI patients.”

The new document strongly supports the establishment and maintenance of regional systems to treat STEMI, which should include assessment and continuous quality improvement programs.

Primary PCI remains the preferred method of reperfusion when it can be performed by experienced operators in a timely fashion. For people who can’t receive primary PCI within 120 minutes of arrival, fibrinolytic therapy should be given within 12 hours of the the onset of symptoms.

The first medical contact (FMC)-to-device time should be 90 minutes at PCI-capable hospitals. Patients who arrive at non PCI-capable hospitals should be transported to a PCI-capable hospital within 30 minutes and should be treated with a FMC-to-device system goal of 120 minutes or less.

Drug-eluting stents should not be used in patients who can’t or won’t comply with long-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). After receiving a stent, patients should receive DAPT with aspirin and either clopidogrel, prasugrel, or ticagrelor.

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December 17th, 2012