Early management of acute myocardial ischemic events. Introduction

Current knowledge, skill and/or material are sufficient to significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality from acute myocardial ischemic events. Unfortunately, morbidity and mortality continue in Florida and most other states at a high level. The Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, therefore, elected to bring together representatives from 13 medical and/or paramedical organizations to develop a consensus as to how to effectively utilize the existing knowledge, etc., to hopefully make Florida the safest state in America in which to have an acute myocardial infarction. This presentation, the first of five, describes how a consensus was developed to establish guidelines for proper patient identification and bystander-initiated actions, prehospital actions by physicians and health-care providers, and actions by physicians and health-care professionals in hospital emergency departments. A careful review follows of the existing knowledge of each of these topics with recommendations specifically for Florida. Finally, the last segment summarizes the conclusions and recommendations proposed by representatives attending the conference in August 1994.