Acute Myocardial Infarction in South Libya

Abstract

Objective: To determine clinical characteristics of patients with acute myocardial infarction. Setting: Intensive Care Unit, 2nd March Teaching Hospital, Sebha, South Libya. Methods: A prospective hospital-based study of patients with acute myocardial infarction in the period from April 2003 to March 2004. Results: A total of 31 patients were admitted with acute myocardial infarction. The majority of patients (74%) were males. Females (26%) were postmenopausal. The mean age was 56.4 years. All patients showed evolutionary changes in ECG tracings. Creatine phosphokinase was raised in 25 patients (80%) and lactic dehydrogenase in 23 patients (74.6%). The cardinal symptom was chest pain (77.5%). Complications included heart failure (33%), shock (29%), arrhythmia (19%) and angina (16%). Ten (32%) patients died in hospital. Conclusion: The study has revealed a high mortality rate due to AMI and calls for improvement of cardiac care by physicians and control of risk factors by public health experts.