Mentality and organisational changes are key to developing primary angioplasty

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health

Background:

• In 2008, Serbia had low rates of reperfusion therapy for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
• Only 19% of STEMI patients received primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the Stent for Life (SFL) Initiative on STEMI treatment in Serbia.
• To assess trends in p-PCI utilization and timely treatment.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of reperfusion therapy data for STEMI patients in Serbia before and after 2009.
• Tracking the increase in p-PCI procedures, PCI centers, and trained cardiologists.

Main Results:

• A significant increase in p-PCI procedures occurred after 2009, driven by policy changes and infrastructure development.
• Direct communication improved patient transport to cathlabs, increasing from 7.5% to 34.2%.
• Despite increased p-PCI numbers, only 38% of patients received treatment within 120 minutes of diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• The SFL Initiative and supporting measures have boosted p-PCI rates in Serbia.
• Timely STEMI treatment remains a challenge, with a need to improve adherence to the 120-minute treatment window.