Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is recommended by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) treatment guidelines as the preferred treatment for ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) whenever it is available within 90–120 minutes of the first medical contact. A survey conducted in 2008 in 51 ESC countries found that the annual incidence of hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction is around 1,900 patients per million population, with an incidence of STEMI of about 800 per million. It showed that STEMI patients’ access to reperfusion therapy and the use of PPCI or thrombolysis (TL) vary considerably between countries. Northern, western and central Europe already have well-developed PPCI services, offering PPCI to 60–90 % of all STEMI patients. Southern Europe and the Balkans are still predominantly using TL. Where this is the case, a higher proportion of patients are left without any reperfusion treatment. The survey concluded that a nationwide PPCI strategy results in more patients being offered reperfusion therapy. To address the inequalities in STEMI patients’ access to life-saving PPCI, and to support the implementation of the ESC STEMI treatment guidelines in Europe, the Stent for Life (SFL) Initiative was launched jointly by the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) and EuroPCR in 2008. National cardiac societies from Bulgaria, France, Greece, Serbia, Spain and Turkey signed the SFL Declaration at the ESC Congress in Barcelona in 2009. The aim of the SFL Initiative is to improve the delivery of, and STEMI patients’ access to, life-saving PPCI and thereby reduce mortality and morbidity. Currently, 10 national cardiac societies support the SFL Initiative in their respective countries. SFL national action programmes have been developed and are being implemented in several countries. The formation of regional PPCI networks involving emergency medical services, non-percutaneous coronary intervention hospitals and PPCI centres is considered to be a critical success factor in implementing PPCI services effectively. This article describes examples of how SFL countries are progressing in implementing their national programmes, thus increasing PPCI penetration in Europe.
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