Factors associated with prehospital delay in acute myocardial infarction in Maldives

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the top cause of death in Maldives. Our study aims to determine the prehospital delay and its associated factors in AMI patients in Maldives. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 127 patients, divided into early (≤ 6 h) and delayed (> 6 h) presenters to the hospital. The data collection for the study was carried out by interviewing AMI patients, focusing on their socio-demographic characteristics, coronary artery disease risk factors, clinical symptoms, situational factors, and behavioral and cognitive responses to symptoms. RESULTS: The median onset-to-door time was 230 (IQR 420) minutes. The mean age of AMI patients was 50.9 (SD ± 12.9) years old, and 39.4% of them had delayed presentation to the hospital. Smokers (adj OR = 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.9; P = 0.047) and those with previous episodes of chest pain or AMI (adj OR = 0.2; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.91; P = 0.038) were significant factors for early presentation to the hospital, while denial of symptoms (adj OR = 29.3; 95% CI: 1.6, 547.2; P = 0.024) and lack of knowledge (adj OR = 7.2; 95% CI: 1.77, 29.43; P = 0.006) led to a delayed decision to seek treatment. Situational factors such as onset at the workplace (adj OR = 5.8; 95% CI: 1.24, 26.83; P = 0.025) had lower odds of delay, whereas referral cases (adj OR = 7.7; 95% CI: 1.9, 30.94; P = 0.004) and use of sea ambulance (adj OR = 11.1; 95% CI: 2.8, 43.8; P = 0.001) were prone to delay in presentation to the hospital. CONCLUSION: Sea ambulance, referral cases, lack of knowledge, and denial of symptoms are significant factors associated with prehospital delay among patients with AMI. Public awareness about the benefits of early presentation and improvement of the means of transportation between islands is suggested to improve emergency cardiac care in the country. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12245-023-00503-2.