Abstract Background: Treatment time in the emergency room for acute myocardial infarction is very important and can be life-saving if one understands the importance of a patient’s chest pain. Objetice: The aim of this study is to evaluate how much patients entering the emergency room due to acute myocardial infection (AMI) know about chest pain and thrombolytic therapy. Materials and Methods: One hundred fifty patients (126 males,14 females) from three different institutes with complaints of chest pain were randomly chosen […]

Abstract Background The implementation of institutional protocols in the emergency department (ED) for risk stratification in patients with chest pain has been recommended. Objective To assess the sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of an institutional risk stratification protocol for chest pain suggestive of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Method Cross-sectional study conducted based on the computerized records of patients treated with the use of a chest pain protocol adapted from the Manchester protocol. The level of risk was stratified by applying […]

Background: Telecardiology may be a useful support in diagnosis and management of chest pain. Objective: Evaluate the application of telecardiology to support the differential diagnosis of chest pain in patients admitted to Emergency Care Units. Method: Observational, retrospective and documental study of 5,816 patients admitted with supposedly cardiological chest pain in twenty two Emergency Care Units in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Data were tabulated and analyzed by Excel® software, using simple descriptive statistics, from the database of the […]

Abstract Background: To reduce mortality of acute myocardial infarction, medical care must be provided within the first hours of the event. Methods: The study was a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 112 consecutive patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction by coronary angiography. We identified the place of the first medical contact and calculated the time between admission to this place and admission to the referral hospital, as well as the time until coronary angiography, with or without percutaneous […]

Abstract Background: Acute myocardial infarction is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world, and one of the factors with the greatest prognostic impact is early specialist care, but there are still many factors that delay patient’s arrival at the hospital. Objective: To correlate social, educational, cognitive and clinical factors with time to hospital arrival after the onset of acute myocardial infarction’s first symptoms. Methods: Time interval to search for medical care was measured by patient’s […]

Abstract Background: Hypertension is the main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Technical quality of sphygmomanometers is a prerequisite for the correct measurement of arterial pressure. Objectives: To evaluate sphygmomanometers available in emergency services in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional, observational, non-interventional study to evaluate characteristics of the sphygmomanometers available in adult emergency services of public and private hospitals in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. We evaluated 337 sphygmomanometers of 25 hospitals – 15 […]