Direct transfer of STEMI patients to cardiac catheterization laboratory

Background Although the incidence of acute myocardial infarction and in-hospital mortality after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has declined substantially in countries that have established primary percutaneous coronary interventions (pPCI) over the past two decades, coronary artery disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to examine whether the direct transfer of STEMI patients to the cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) had a prognostic effect on in-hospital mortality in patients who underwent pPCI after STEMI.