Related Experiment Videos
[Different use of thrombolytic therapy in men and women with acute myocardial infarction]
M Z Thorup1, J D Markenvard, A Hansen
1Svendborg Sygehus, medicinsk afdeling.
Insights
Women with acute myocardial infarction experienced longer hospital delays before treatment initiation compared to men, impacting thrombolytic therapy. Immediate evaluation post-admission is crucial for improving care in female patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Research
- Gender Health Disparities
Background:
- Previous research indicates gender disparities in invasive procedures for coronary artery disease.
- Understanding these differences in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) initial treatment is critical.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gender-based differences in the initial treatment of acute myocardial infarction.
- To compare the utilization of both invasive and non-invasive procedures between men and women with AMI.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 448 patients (283 men, 165 women) with suspected AMI was analyzed.
- Treatment patterns, including thrombolytic therapy (streptokinase), and procedural uptake (exercise tests, echocardiograms) were compared between genders.
- Time delays from symptom onset to admission and in-hospital treatment initiation were assessed.
Main Results:
- A significant gender difference was observed in streptokinase use (47.3% men vs. 33.3% women).
- Women experienced significantly longer in-hospital delays before treatment, particularly those under 70.
- No gender differences were found in non-invasive procedure rates; mortality was slightly higher in women.
Conclusions:
- Women with suspected AMI face longer in-hospital delays, potentially affecting thrombolytic therapy outcomes.
- Immediate and careful evaluation of women upon hospital admission is recommended to optimize treatment.
- Addressing these delays could improve gender equity in acute myocardial infarction care.
Abstract:
Previous studies have reported a difference between the use of invasive therapeutic procedures in men and women with coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate if this difference also exists in the initial treatment of acute myocardial infarction and for numbers of non-invasive procedures performed. We examined 448 patients (283 men and 165 women). We found a significant gender difference concerning the numbers treated with streptokinase, namely 47.3% of the men compared to 33.3% of the women. The delay from onset of symptoms until admission was nearly the same for both sexes. There was, however, a considerably longer in-hospital delay before start of treatment for the women compared to the men. The time-difference was significant for patients below 70 years of age. We found no gender difference in the numbers of performed exercise-tests and echocardiographic examinations. There was a slightly non-significant higher mortality among the women. We also calculated the numbers of patients without contraindications to treatment with streptokinase who were not treated, here we found no difference between the sexes. We conclude that women with symptoms suggesting acute myocardial infarction should be carefully evaluated immediately after admission to hospital to improve thrombolytic therapy.