THE ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING THE TERMS OF HOSPITAL ADMISSION IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME (ACCORDING TO THE LIS STUDY DATA - LYUBERTSY STUDY ON MORTALITY RATE IN PATIENTS AFTER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION)

Aim. To evaluate main factors influencing admission time to cardiovascular care unit in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Material and methods. Anonymous questionnaire was used to study factors associated with prehospital delay. A total of 363 patients aged 63.2 +/- 12.3 (24-89 years) were enrolled into the study: women -132 (37%), men-231 (63%). Results. The main reason for emergency call was typical pain syndrome (87%). 52% of the patients experienced the pain syndrome for the first time, the others noted change in the pain characteristics. 28% of the patients did nothing to relieve the chest pain; only one third of the patients used short-acting nitrates. The main reasons for delay in emergency call were the follows: hope that the symptoms will pass off aidless, unwillingness to disturb medical staff, various family circumstances and so on. Almost third part of the patients sought medical attention more than one hour after pain syndrome onset, about half of the patients called an ambulance within the first 40 minutes. Women sought medical advice later than men and used nitroglycerin less often. Experience of myocardial infarctions decreased in time before emergency call and increase in frequency of nitroglycerin intake before ambulance arrival but these correlations were weak (r <= 0.25). Conclusion. Very high and high cardiovascular risk patients underestimate severity of possible complications of their disease and necessity for emergency call, they are also not familiar with the first aid algorithm in emergency cases. To reduce prehospital delay hospital and out-patient clinic doctors have to regularly inform high-risk patients and their relatives about the ACS symptoms and methods of the first aid.