Objectives: To characterize the profile of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated at the emergency department and to verify the time of arrival of each patient (∆T). Identify how the patient was transported and to correlate Delta-T (∆T) with the treatment and the prognosis of each patient.Methods: Cross-sectional survey involving 52 patients with AMI admitted to the Emergency Department of a Teaching Hospital took part in the study from July to December 2010. Data collection was performed using medical records and interviews.Results: The majority of the patients were male with a mean age of 62.35 ± 14.66 years. The participants were married, with low education levels, family history of heart diseases, arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, and a sedentary lifestyle. The symptoms presented were pains in the chest, epigastric region, or a chest discomfort associated to dyspnea and/or sudden sweating. The majority of the patients were transported by ambulance. They were submitted to cardiac catheterization followed by angioplasty. Delta-T found was 9h45min ± 18h9min. In this study, the overall lethality was 3.85%.Conclusions: The perception of signs and symptoms of AMI by the patient was a decisive factor when seeking out specialized treatment. Those with the lowest Delta-T presented better prognosis.
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