Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes in Patients with STEMI in Croatia and Kosovo

INTRODUCTION The aim of our study was to compare clinical characteristics, risk factors, treatment modalities and medium-term outcomes in STEMI patients in two different countries, Croatia and Kosovo. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 77 consecutive patients from two regional hospitals, included in the STEMI network of University Clinical Center Zagreb, Croatia (group 1), and 75 STEMI consecutive patients treated in regional Hospital Gjakova, Kosovo (group 2). Standard laboratory tests were performed in both study groups. Patients were treated by the standard protocol of the country and hospital where they were treated. Immediate clinical outcomes and 6 months follow up results regarding MACE were compared. RESULTS There was no significant difference between groups in basic clinical characteristic except for diabetes mellitus, (x2 = 6.96, P = 0.008, P <0.01) and glycaemia control (U’ = 1530, P = 0.013).No significant difference between two groups in laboratory findings. There was a difference in percent of patients treated with primary PCI, 71 in gr 1 and 55 in group 2, reaching statistical significance (x2 test 8,261, p = 0.0045). In patients treated with PCI, there was no difference in “door to balloon time” (DTB) between groups. There was a remarkable difference in proportion of drug eluting stent (DES) implantation (3.5% in group 1, 29.1% in group 2 (x2 test 13.5, P = 0.0002).The difference partly derives from the relatively large number of balloon interventions in group 2. There was 2 deaths in group 1 in early hospital period, both during interventional procedure, one of the patients was in cardiogenic shock. There was no early mortality in group 2. In 6 month clinical follow up there were 3 deaths in group 2, all in patient with no revascularization, and no death in group 1. CONCLUSION We compared the clinical characteristics, treatment strategies and outcomes, in STEMI patients from two countries. After initial mortality, patients from Croatia had a better mid-term survival after recovery from their AMI compared to patients from Kosovo. Use of revascularization procedures was beneficial, but it was less often performed in Kosovo