The treatment of acute myocardial infarction is in evolution. Several strategies are utilized ranging from thrombolysis to percutaneous angioplasty (PCI), and the combination of both treatments; the latter providing an interesting compromise between treatment delay and efficiency of early myocardial reperfusion. We reviewed the early treatment strategies of acute myocardial infarctions undertaken by Samu in region 6 (south west of France) in 2002. Of a cohort of 115 patients, 83 patients (72.1%) had a revascularisation strategy: 56 (48.7%) had a primary PCI, and 27 (23.4%) had thrombolysis (92.6% being performed in the prehospital treatment). In those undergoing thrombolysis, 13 patients (48%) had ongoing features of ischaemia; excluding 4 patients who died during transport, all had a PCI at the admission in hospital. For the 14 patients with successful thrombolysis, 5 had facilitated PCI at the admission, 8 had a delayed angioplasty and 1 patient did not have angiography. Although the number of patients receiving thrombolysis in this study was small, this treatment was begun 62 minutes before primary PCI. There are important intra and extra hospital delays to the commencement of PCI. The easy utility of thrombolysis together with the potential to PCI argue in favour for a strategy of prehospital thrombolysis associated with a facilitated angioplasty.