A survey of aspirin use in the pre-hospital treatment of suspected acute cardiac chest pain.

Recent large studies have demonstrated the value of early intervention with aspirin and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction for patients reaching hospital alive. Management of patients with suspected myocardial infarction prior to hospitalisation is an important area of acute cardiac care. Guidelines for good practice suggest the early administration of aspirin should be considered when an infarct seems likely. We have found aspirin less commonly used than other interventions prior to hospital admission in patients with suspected acute cardiac pain.