Home or Hospital Care after Myocardial Infarction: Is This the Right Question?

Abstract

This article attempts to lay down guide-lines for the general practitioner faced with a patient with a myocardial infarction in his home. A too rigid distinction between home or hospital care should not be attempted. Rather the general practitioner should look at home and hospital care and decide which is more appropriate in a particular case. In particular, he must distinguish clearly between cases he sees very soon after an attack and those he sees some hours later. Two hours is suggested as a useful dividing time between the two groups of patients.