Validity of Computer-interpreted “Normal” and “Otherwise Normal” ECG in Emergency Department Triage Patients

Introduction: Chest pain is the second most common chief complaint for patients undergoing evaluation in emergency departments (ED) in the United States. The American Heart Association recommends immediate physician interpretation of all electrocardiograms (ECG) performed for adults with chest pain within 10 minutes to evaluate for the finding of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The ECG machines provide computerized interpretation of each ECG, potentially obviating the need for immediate physician analysis; however, the reliability of computer-interpreted findings of “normal” or “otherwise normal” ECG to rule out STEMI requiring immediate intervention in the ED is unknown.Methods: We performed a prospective cohort analysis of 2,275 ECGs performed in triage in the adult ED of a single academic medical center, comparing the computerized interpretations of “normal” and“otherwise normal” ECGs to those of attending cardiologists....
Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research