Acute ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a major public health issue and is the leading cause of death in the United States. ST elevation myocardial infarction is a syndrome that is comprised of clinical signs and symptoms of myocardial ischemia, electrocardiographic changes of ST elevation in two or more contiguous leads of at least 2 mm in men and at least 1.5 mm in women in leads V2/V3 or at least 1 mm in all other contiguous leads, and elevations in cardiac biomarkers, frequently troponin [1]. In 2009, roughly 680,000 patients were discharged from U.S. hospitals after an AMI [2]. Coronary occlusions associated with ST-elevation on electrocardiography account for about 30–45% of the AMI cases [3]. Although there is substantial overlap in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, other forms of AMI are addressed in detail elsewhere under acute coronary syndromes.