A simple risk index accurately predicted mortality in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Patients The development set comprised data from 13 253 patients who had ST elevation MI and were enrolled within 6 hours of symptom onset, and who did not have a history of cerebrovascular disease, systolic blood pressure (SBP) > 180 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > 110 mm Hg, cardiogenic shock, or increased risk of severe bleeding. The validation set comprised data from 3659 patients who had ST elevation MI and were assessed by a physician as suitable for thrombolytic therapy. Both the development and validation sets excluded a small number of patients with a heart rate < 50 beats/minute or > 150 beats/minute.