During the last SOLACI congress, held beginning of August in São Paulo, Brazil, a session called “Reperfusion strategy and care networks on heart attack in LATAM” – organized by SOLACI and supported by the regional representation of the Stent Save a Life! initiative – was dedicated to the analysis of reperfusion treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the different Latin American countries.

The session – coordinated by both Dr. Omar Santaera (Argentina), Treasurer of SOLACI, and Dr. Ricardo Lluberas (Uruguay), former president of SOLACI – was divided in two parts, the first one focusing on the update of available evidence about reperfusion treatment – both through pPCI and use of fibrinolytics, including the pharmaco-invasive strategy – while the second one gave different countries the opportunity to spotlight their respective experience on the organisation available locally for the medical care of these patients.

Prestigious Latin American interventional cardiologists spoke about the situation of AMI in this region and analysed different strategies and procedures to reduce mortality.

Following the presentations given by Dr. Luis Urna (Bolivia) on the latest developments in the use of primary angioplasty (pPCI) and by Dr. Pablo Vázquez (Uruguay) on the update on the pharmaco-invasive strategy, there was a consensus that these two approaches should be those of greater use in LATAM considering the geographical characteristics of the continent and the distribution of the majority of the population that leaves far from most interventional centres.

Dr. Jorge Mayol (Uruguay), co-Regional Champion for Stent-Save a Life! LATAM, deepened on the particular characteristics of the Latin America population and raised the need to get a better picture of the reality through a survey to be conducted in all member countries. In this context, Dr. Mayol highlighted SOLACI’s endorsement and full support of the Stent-Save a Life! global initiative, the European-born program whose mission is to reduce heart attack mortality worldwide.

The subject of the correct diagnosis and difficulties in the management of myocardial infarction complicated with cardiogenic shock was addressed by Dr. Elías Rolón Paredes (Paraguay). Dr. Alfonsina Candiello (Argentina), following a presentation on the Stent-Save a Life! program for the LATAM region, introduced some concepts related to the Stent-Save a Life! Blueprint project, a practical guide that will soon be available for the SSL member countries to help them develop an efficient STEMI network – based on the Hub and Spoke model – according to different treatment scenarios and depending on the patient first medical contact.

The session panelists, Drs. Alejandro Martínez Sepúlveda (Chile), Gustavo Vignolo (Uruguay), Patricio Ortiz (Mexico) and Rolando Cuevas (R. Dominicana), contributed to the different topics with their vision and the reality of reperfusion in their respective countries.

The collaborative SOLACI-Stent-Save a Life! session was extremely fruitful. Although numerous challenges in managing patients with AMI were raised during the various discussions, common objectives were also drawn-up between the different country representatives to jointly develop a work plan that will aim at reducing mortality from heart attack in this region of the world.