Table 1

Patients characteristics by hospital type. (Numbers are percentages unless otherwise indicated)

	Metropolitan (n=1048)	Non-metropolitan (n=617)	p value
Transferred in n (%)	95 (9)	138 (23)	0.004
Male sex	64	68	0.069
Age group
⩽60	26	31	0.007
61–70	25	28
>70	49	41
Pulse rate
<80	47	48
80–<110	39	43
⩾110	14	10	0.013
Systolic BP
<100	8	6
100–180	81	83
>180	12	11	0.310
Raised JVP	11	7	0.059
Basal crepitations	38	28	0.024
Pulmonary oedema	30	25	0.129
Admission in cardiac arrest	7	5	0.154
ST elevation on ECG
Yes	53	59
No	40	39
Not recorded	6	2	0.108
ST depression on ECG
Yes	56	68
No	37	30
Not recorded	7	2	0.010
LBBB on ECG
Yes	7	5
No	82	93
Not recorded	11	3	0.006
History
AMI	26	22
Angina or revascularisation	17	16
No history	57	62	0.316
Diabetes	13	15	0.420
Infarct position
anterior	29	31
inferior	34	37
other	25	19
Not recorded	12	14	0.358
Cardiomegaly on radiography	25	23	0.562
Principal symptom precipitating admission
Chest pain	77	82
Other	23	18	0.102
Reinfarction within 24 hours	7	6	0.213
Recurrent chest pain within 24 hours	37	40	0.625
Health insurance: patient classification for this admission
Chargeable	21	19
Veterans affairs - chargeable	7	7
Non-chargeable	72	73	0.745
Hospital treatment
Ace inhibitor	50	42	0.068
Aspirin	88	81	0.004
β blocker	57	47	0.011
Intravenous heparin	79	64	0.007
Intravenous nitrate	39	37	0.791
Thrombolysis	36	41	0.138