Profile of patients admitted for myocardial infarction at the emergency reception facility of Principal Hospital in Dakar, Senegal

This retrospective study was carried out from January 2005 to December 2006 to ascertain the profile of patients admitted for treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) in a modern emergency reception facility (ERF) in Sub-Saharan Africa. Diagnosis of MI was based on clinical presentation, electrocardiography (persistent ST-segment depression), and laboratory findings (measurement of troponine T and CPK MB). Study data included epidemiological parameters (including risk factors and interval between onset of symptoms and admission), clinical and paraclinical findings, therapeutic modalities (including any prehospital management), complications at the time of admission, and mortality within the first five days. Men accounted for 77% of the 52 consecutive patients hospitalized for MI during the study period. Mean age was 59 years. Risk factors included hypertension in 46% of cases, tobacco use in 40%, and diabetes in 21%. The mean interval for management was approximately 29 hours with only 5 patients receiving care within the first 6 hours. Chest pain was the main reason for coming to the ERF (86%). The location of pain was anterior in 58% of cases and inferior in 37%. Diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory findings in 96% of patients. Ten patients benefited from transportation by ambulance and four patients underwent thrombolysis before hospitalization. Complications at the time of admissions included cardiovascular collapse (n=3), acute pulmonary edema (n=13), and arrhythmia (n=6). Eleven patients (21%) died within the first five days. These findings confirm the need to educate the population in an effort to reduce the interval for management, to develop prehospital medical care, and to increase the availability of coronary artery revascularization modalities to improve the prognosis of MI in the acute phase.