The Determinants of Delays and Their Impact on Clinical End Points in Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Single-Center Experience

<i>Background and Objectives</i>: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that cause delay time in patients admitted to the hospital with STEMI. In addition, the effect of this delay on the patient's prognosis has also been investigated. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: a total of 301 patients diagnosed with STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) were included in the study. Reinfarction, revascularization, cerebrovascular event, and cardiac death were determined as major cardiac clinical events. The follow-up period of our study was 475 ± 193 days. <i>Results</i>: Univariate analysis revealed that factors influencing delay time included BMI, hypertension diabetes, smoking habit and variability in pain intensity. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, variation in pain intensity, and infarct-related artery other than the LAD were identified as independent factors associated with increased delay times. We determined the cut-off values predicting the composite endpoint as 122.5 min for patient delay, 95.5 min for system delay, and 371 min for total ischemic time. It was observed that the in-hospital NT pro-BNP values of the patients presenting early were lower (181 vs. 594 pg/mL <i>p</i> < 0.001), had a higher ejection fraction at the first measurement, and even improved at the sixth week of follow-up (<i>p</i> = 0.047). <i>Conclusions</i>: Prolonged ischemia duration was associated with several factors. Early reperfusion in STEMI patients reduces both cardiac death and clinical events. Delays are influenced by patient awareness, emergency care efficiency, and hospital-specific factors. Improving education, response times, and hospital protocols is essential to minimize delays and improve outcomes.