Figure 2.

The progress of the typical patient with myocardial infarction through the care pathway. Time delays to effective therapy are (a) time for recognition of the potential seriousness of symptoms by the patient, (b) arrival of help with advanced life support experience, (c) transfer to hospital, and (d) triage and transfer from the Accident and Emergency Unit to the Coronary Care Unit. Aspirin is available in most homes and can easily be administered at an early stage. Thrombolytic therapy is largely restricted to hospital usage although recent trials suggest that it can be successfully used in the community [1–3].