PRE-HOSPITAL ECG TRANSMISSION
APPLICATION
To improve outcomes of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the key is rapid identification of ST-Segment elevation in ECG indicating myocardial infarction (STEMI). American Heart Association recommends 90 minutes (Door to Balloon) D2B time. Medical facilities wanting to achieve this milestone have to look into implementing a STEMI alerting system which enables transmission of patient 12-Lead ECG from the event site or on route to the ER by the EMS transport crew. This alerting ECG transmission in advance of patient arrival allows for either the EMS transport to be rerouted to a PCI facility or time to activate the local Cath Lab so it is ready ahead of patient arrival. Apart from helping with achievement of AHA recommended B2B time for treatment of AMI patients, the system also helps in minimizing false Cath Lab activations.
The Achilles heel of such STEMI systems is the ability of the EMS crew to successfully transmit the patient 12-Lead ECG to the hospital using wireless data transmission which in majority of the cases uses cellular network connections.