The Stent for Life Initiative (SFL) is a unique European platform for interventional cardiologists, government representatives, industry partners, patient groups and patients to work together and, by shaping the health care systems and medical practices, ensure that the majority of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients will have an equal access to the life saving indication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
There is indisputable scientific evidence that myocardial revascularization in patients with acute forms of coronary artery disease is life saving; it reduces mortality, rates of non-fatal reinfarction and stroke, as compared to the previous standard of care (pharmacological treatment, including thrombolytic therapy for STEMI).
The Stent for Life Initiative was launched by the coalition of European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) and EuroPCR last year. The SFL mission is to improve the delivery of care and patient access to the life saving indications of PCI, and in so doing, reduce the mortality and morbidity of patients suffering from acute coronary syndromes.
The project has been rolled out in six countries so far. National Cardiology Societies of Bulgaria, France, Greece, Serbia, Spain and Turkey declared their commitment at the ESC 2009 Congress in Barcelona. Each country is implementing an action program to increase patient access to primary PCI. The following targets were set:
To increase the use of primary PCI to more than 70% among all STEMI patients.
To achieve primary PCI rates of more than 600 per one million inhabitants per year.
To offer 24/7 service for PCI procedures at all invasive facilities to cover the country STEMI population need.
