[STEMI network Essen--results after 1 year]

The myocardial infarction network "Herzinfarktverbund Essen" was initiated on September 1, 2004 in order to establish a standardized strategy and therapy for patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the city of Essen. The primary goal is the immediate reopening of the infarcted vessel by direct transfer of the patient to a hospital with 24-h stand-by catheter laboratory. The first 1-year follow-up, completed on August 31, 2006, showed a low 1-year mortality rate (11.2%), whereby 7.6% of the patients died in hospital. There was a significant dependency of mortality on age, the prehospital stability of cardiovascular circulation, the amount of left ventricular damage, the TIMI flow after intervention, and the duration of interventional therapy ("puncture-to-balloon" time). The coronary status, anticoagulation therapy as well as diabetes mellitus were also dependent variables, whereas the type of stent showed no influence. The rate of restenosis was greater with bare-metal stents (BMS) compared to the use of drug-eluting stents (DES). There was a low rate of repeated STEMI or NSTEMI (non-ST elevation myocardial infarction; 1.8%, 1.7%). These first long-term data confirm the successful implementation of treatment guidelines for STEMI patients within a standardized strategy in an urban environment.