Thrombolysis nurses: time for review

Thrombolysis remains the most popular means of reperfusion following an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction in the United Kingdom today. There is a wealth of evidence to support the early provision of thrombolysis care and a number of models of care delivery have been proposed to reduce the time delay from admission to hospital to administration of thrombolytic therapy. The movement of this treatment from the coronary care unit to the emergency department in association with the employment of specialist cardiac nurses has been associated with some time reductions. However the quality of evidence to support the employment of specialist cardiac nurses working outside the coronary care unit is limited. The author provides an overview of the main literature in this area outlining the models of care in operation and argues that there are lessons to be learned for future nursing research.