Association of Door-to-Balloon Delay with Complications and Length of Hospital Stays in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complications are widespread and have a direct effect on the length of stay (LOS) and mortality of patients. Reperfusion therapy via Percutaneous Coronary Intervention mainly impacts outcomes within the first few hours. Consequently, delaying this procedure is a key concern in STEMI management. The door-to-balloon (D2B) time is a crucial predictor of clinical outcomes. This study investigates whether D2B time can predict post-STEMI complications and length of hospital stay, accounting for sociodemographic and clinical variables. Methods: This prospective observational study involved 536 patients with confirmed STEMI, recruited consecutively from 8 hospitals in Amman, Jordan. Patients were classified as delayed if their D2B time was ≥2 h. Logistic regression analyzed the impact of delay on complications, while multiple regression assessed how delay time affected LoS. Results: The median D2B time was 108 min (IQR 65–395). The delayed group and patients with a previous AMI had 2.22- and 1.41-times higher risks of complications, respectively, compared to their counterparts. Patients with a history of HTN and DM faced 1.24- and 1.18-times higher risks of complications versus their respective groups. Each additional hour of door-to-balloon delay was associated with an increase of 0.294 days in hospital length of stay. Conclusions: D2B ≥ 2 h is linked to increased complications and longer LoS. Timely management can reduce complications, shorten LoS, and lower hospital resource use.