STEMI Care in India: From First Contact to Secondary Prevention
Building systems that connect general practitioners, ambulance networks, and catheterisation laboratories — lessons from STEMI India and three decades of acute MI management.
Acute myocardial infarction remains one of the leading causes of mortality in India. The gap between symptom onset and definitive treatment — the ischaemic time — determines whether a patient survives with preserved heart function or faces lifelong disability.
Systems of Care
STEMI India 2016, which I had the privilege of organising, was conceived to educate physicians across the care continuum — from the general practitioner who first sees the patient, through emergency transport, to the interventional cardiologist in the cath lab and the rehabilitation team at discharge.
Secondary Prevention
Surviving a heart attack is only the beginning. Dual antiplatelet therapy, statins, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, lifestyle modification, and regular follow-up are essential to prevent recurrence. Every STEMI patient deserves a structured secondary prevention plan from day one.