Objective To investigate the change of treatment of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after chest pain center onstruction. Methods According to the accreditation of Society of Chest Pain Center, the specific management system and flow-path were established in the hospital. The demographic data, success rates of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), door-to balloon time (D2B), mean length of hospital stay, average hospitalization expense per capita and in-hospital mortality were compared between patients treated before chest pain center construction (n=82) and those treated after chest pain center
construction (n=96). Results There was no significant difference in the constituent ratios of baseline diseases and success rate of PCI between patients treated before chest pain center construction and those treated after chest pain center construction (P>0.05). Compared with patients treated before chest pain center construction, those treated after chest pain center construction had shorter D2B and mean length of hospital stay by 45.8 min (40.7%) and 2.5 d (25.3%) respectively, less average hospitalization expense per capita by 6 103 yuan (13.1%) and lower in-hospital mortality by 65.2% (P<0.01). Conclusion The international management model of chest pain center effectively reduces the rescue time and decreases the mortality in patients with STEMI, which may be an effective method to control the medical expense and improve the service quality.