Identification of the time of onset of acute myocardial infarction symptomatology

Abstract

Background: Acute myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of death in Portugal and worldwide. Several studies have shown a morning predominance of the onset of symptoms in this pathology. Objective: Describe the variation in onset of the infarction symptomatology and to analyze the average delay of admission in the emergency service of patients between 2015 and 2016 to a unit in northern Portugal. Methodology: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Fifty patients were studied, admitted to an emergency department diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction between 2015 and 2016 using clinical records. Results: The majority of participants were male (52%), with an average age of 79.6 years, presenting with hypertension (72%), dyslipidemia (54%), diabetes (46%), and obesity (20%). Onset time of acute myocardial infarction symptoms was generally between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. (34%) and on average at 10 a.m. Conclusion: There was a predominance of symptom onset in the morning period.