STEMI or non-STEMI: that is the question

Acute coronary syndromes are usually classified on the basis of the presence or absence of ST elevation on the ECG: ST-elevation myocardial infarction or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) need immediate therapy, without unnecessary delay and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) should preferably be performed within 90 min after first medical contact. However, in AMI patients without ST-segment elevation (pre) hospital triage for immediate transfer to the catheterisation laboratory may be difficult. Moreover, initial diagnosis and risk stratification take place at busy emergency departments and chest pain units with additional risk of ‘PPCI delay’. Optimal timing of angiography and revascularisation remains a challenge. We describe a patient with NSTEMI who was scheduled for early coronary angiography within 24 h but retrospectively should have been sent to the cath lab immediately because he had a significant amount of myocardium at risk, undetected by non-invasive parameters.