How to set up regional STEMI networks: a 'Stent - Save a life!' initiative

Clinical guidelines recommend the development of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) networks at community, regional and/or national level to offer ideally primary coronary angioplasty, or, at least the best available STEMI care to all patients. However, there is a discrepancy between this clinical recommendation and daily practice, with no coordinated care for STEMI patients in many regions of the world. While this can be a consequence of lacking resources, in reality, it is more frequently a lack of organizational power. In this paper, the Stent-Save a life! Initiative proposes a practical methodology to effectively set up a STEMI network in any region of the world, with existing resources, and to continuously develop the STEMI network once established.