Five years of Stent for Life in Portugal.

Abstract Objective To analyze changes in performance indicators five years after Portugal joined the Stent for Life (SFL) initiative. Methods National surveys were carried out annually over one-month periods designated as study Time Points between 2011 (Time Zero) and 2016 (Time Five). In this study, 1340 consecutive patients with suspected ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who underwent coronary angiography, admitted to 18 24/7 primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) centers, were enrolled. Results There was a significant reduction in the proportion of patients who attended primary healthcare centers (20.3% vs. 4.8%, p Conclusion During the lifetime of the SFL initiative in Portugal, there was a positive change in patient delay indicators, especially the lower proportion of patients who attended non-PCI centers, along with an increase in those who called 112. System delay did not change significantly over this period. These results should be taken into consideration in the current Stent – Save a Life initiative.