Time to treatment in patients of suspected acute coronary syndrome in Pakistan: A clinical audit

ObjectiveEvaluate time to treatment (TT) in suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients in the Emergency Department (ED) in Pakistan.MethodsIn this clinical audit, medical records of adult patients with suspicion of ACS visiting the ED of a tertiary care facility in Karachi from January to March of 2012 were reviewed and evaluated according to benchmarks from American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines.ResultsStudy included 230 patients, of which 62.6% were males (n = 144). Physicians saw most patients (74.1%) in ≤10 min (min) of ED triage. ECG was performed in ≤10 min in 93 (47.7%) patients. Of the 207 patients being prescribed Aspirin, 41.9% received it in ≤10 min. Of 155 patients who were prescribed anti-coagulants (e.g., heparin), 32.9% received them in 10 min. Half of the patients requiring primary coronary intervention underwent the procedure within 90 min.ConclusionFindings warrant exploring interventions to improve TT for ACS care in resource-limited settings.