Impact of the Type of First Medical Contact within a Guideline-Conform ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Network: A Prospective Observational Registry Study

AimsThe impact of type of first medical contact (FMC) in the setting of a guideline conform metropolitan ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) network providing obligatory primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unclear.Methods and Results3,312 patients were prospectively included between 2006 and 2012 into a registry accompanying the “Cologne Infarction Model” STEMI network, with 68.4% primarily presenting to emergency medical service (EMS), 17.6% to non-PCI-capable hospitals, and 14.0% to PCI-capable hospitals. Median contact-to-balloon time differed significantly by FMC with 89 minutes (IQR 72–115) for EMS, 107 minutes (IQR 85–148) for non-PCI- and 65 minutes (IQR 48–91) for PCI-capable hospitals (p ConclusionDespite differences in treatment delay by type of FMC in-hospital mortality did not differ significantly. The increased risk of TIMI-flow grade