Objectives: The management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has one major objective today: early myocardial reperfusion. This results in a growing number of interhospital transfers of patients with ACS from general hospitals towards hospitals with interventional cardiology departments. This study's aim was to analyze the complications during transfers to assess the need for changes in transfer procedures.
Method: Prospective single-center study over 6 months, including all patients transferred for ACS (regardless of whether or not they were ST+) to an interventional cardiology department.
Results: The study included 48 patients, with an average age of 68 years and a sex ratio of 3 men per woman. 25% had a complication during transfer, with resumption of pain, dysrhythmia or shock. There were no deaths during the course of transfer. 92% of complications occurred among patients coming from an emergency unit, compared with 8% coming from a cardiology intensive care unit. ACS had begun within the past 24 hours for all.
Discussion: This high incidence justifies careful medical supervision of interhospital transfers for patients with an ACS < 24 hours. No patients transferred more than 24 hours after the onset of ACS developed complications. Further studies of this type of patient are necessary to determine the needs of this group.