Abstract

LEAL-MATEOS, Manrique; WONG-MCLURE, Roy; PENA, Nicolás  and  GUEVARA, Moraima. Vigilancia epidemiológica para el infarto agudo al miocardio, experiencia obtenida en el Hospital Calderón Guardia. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2005, vol.47, n.2, pp.84-88. ISSN 0001-6002.

Rationale and Objective: Since acute myocardial infarction represents one of the main causes of death in our country, the health authorities decided in the year 2003 to include it as an illness subject to epidemiological surveillance. The present paper has as its purpose to give the most salient information of the epidemiological surveillance system for myocardial infarction implemented in the Internal Medicine service of the Calderón Guardia hospital. Methods: We did a descriptive analysis of the information collected since October First, 2003 and until September the 30th., 2004. Qualitative variables were analyzed with frequencies and proportions. The quantitative variables were expressed by means of measures of central tendency as well as measures of dispersion. The differences between averages and proportions were compared with the Student's t test. Statistical significance was fixed at less or equal to 0.05. We used the Epi Info program for data processing. Results: The age average was 64.6 years (S.D. + 12.2 years). 66.1% (n=84) of the patients were men. The percentage of patients with dyslipidemia was significantIy greater en women than in men (p=0.007). The same finding was seen with arterial hypertension (p=0.007). On the contrary, the percentage of smokers was significantly greater in men than in women (p<0,0001). 71.7% (n=91) of the patients were classified as Killip-Kimball grade I. 18.4% (n=23) had complications during their hospital stay. Mortality in the Internal Medicine service of Calderón Guardia hospital was 6.3% (n=8). Conclusion: The surveillance system for acute myocardial infarction proposed in this paper is presented as an essential tool to guide the strategies needed to contribute in the improvement of the knowledge we have at present about the patient with this important illness

Keywords : infarto agudo al miocardio; epidemiología; vigilancia epidemiológica.