Hungary (population ~10 million, area ~93,000km2)
Béla Merkely, PhD, DSc, FESC, FACC, director and chair
Heart Centre, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary,
and president of the Hungarian Society of Cardiology Primary care for acute STEMI patients is provided by 17 regional interventional cardiac centres in Hungary. A countrywide network covers the primary cardiac care for almost the whole area of the ~10 million citizens. The number of PCIs for acute coronary syndrome is increasing. In 2010, >9000 were performed, which is >50% of the total number of all PCIs. The annual mortality of acute myocardial infarction decreased from 15,000 in 1993 to 7500 in 2010. Today, ~66% of hospitalised acute STEMI and non-STEMI patients are treated with PCI, so Hungary ranks 8th in Europe for PCI intervention.1 The rate of thrombolytic therapy for STEMI patients has recently decreased to <1%.
1. Widimsky P, Wijns W, Fajadet J, de Belder M, Knot J, Aaberge L, Andrikopoulos G, Baz JA, Betriu A, Claeys M, Danchin N, Djambazov S, Erne P, Hartikainen J, Huber K, Kala P, Klinceva M, Kristensen SD, Ludman P, Ferre JM,Merkely B,Milicic D,Morais J, NocM, Opolski G, Ostojic M, Radovanovic D, De Servi S, Stenestrand U, Studencan M, TubaroM, Vasiljevic Z,Weidinger F,WitkowskiA, Zeymer U, European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions. Reperfusion therapy for ST elevation acute myocardial infarction in Europe: description of the current situation in 30 countries. Eur Heart J. 2010;31:943-957
More details in Circulation October 11, 2011 >> About Hungarian Cardiology in Numbers
In the European Heart Journal, the official newspaper of the European Society of Cardiology an important summary statement has been published about the results of diagnostic and therapic treatment of cardiological diseases in Hungary.
The article is available in the Arcives of European Heart Journal:
Eur Heart J 2011;32:1578-1579
