Between 1994 and 2009, the Dr Gustavo Aldereguía University Hospital of Cienfuegos, Cuba implemented a series of interventions that reduced acute myocardial infarction case fatality rate from 47% to 15%. These interventions were part of an institutional plan for myocardial infarction included in the hospital's overall quality assurance strategy. Outcomes resulted primarily from organizational changes (from upgrading of the hospital emergency department and provincial emergency system to creation of a comprehensive coronary care unit and a chest pain center); optimizing use of effective drugs (streptokinase, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers); adherence to clinical practice guidelines; and continual and participatory evaluation and adjustment.

A retrospective descriptive study of patients who died in 1998, with the objective of characterizing mortality in the intensive care units of «Dr Gustavo Aldereguía Lima» University Hospital in Cienfuegos was performed. The required data were taken from the monthly report by the In-hospital Mortality Analysis Committee. It was observed that the average age of dead patients was 52,50 ± 21,28 years, most of the patients came from both emergency medical services (49%) and the surgery room (25.5%) and that medical admissions exceeded surgical ones. Average stay length was 6.53± 9.82 days. The main cause of death was found to be acute myocardial infarction (27.6%) followed by trauma ( 18.32%). There was a complete clinical and pathological concordance in 71.6% of the dead people. It was proved that lethality of patients who died from trombolized acute myocardial infarction was 8% and that of the non-trombolized one was 26%; whereas lethality of head trauma with or without multiple injuries was 62.5% and that of multiple injuries without head trauma was 8.5%

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de los pacientes fallecidos en el año 1998, para caracterizar la mortalidad en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos del Hospital Universitario «Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima» de Cienfuegos. Se obtuvieron los datos necesarios del informe mensual emitido por el Comité de Análisis de la Mortalidad Hospitalaria. Se observó que la edad media de los fallecidos fue de 52,50 ± 21,28 años, que procedían en su mayoría del servicio de urgencias (49 %) y del salón de operaciones (25,5 %) y que predominaron los ingresos médicos sobre los quirúrgicos. El promedio de estadía fue de 6,53 ± 9,82 d. Se halló como la principal causa de muerte el infarto miocárdico agudo (27,6 %) seguido del traumatismo (18,32 %). Existió concordancia clínicopatológica total en el 71,6 % de los fallecidos. Se comprobó que la letalidad de los fallecidos con infarto miocárdico agudo trombolizado fue del 8 % y la de los no trombolizados, del 26 %, mientras que la de traumatismo de cráneo con traumatismo múltiple o sin este fue de 62,5 % y de 8,5 % la de traumatismo múltiple sin traumatismo de cráneo