Examining the Timeliness of ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction Transfers

Introduction:Despite large-scale quality improvement initiatives, substantial proportions of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) transferred to percutaneous coronary intervention centers do not receive percutaneous coronary intervention within the recommended 120 minutes. We sought to examine the contributory role of emergency medical services (EMS) activation relative to percutaneous coronary intervention center activation in the timeliness of care for patients transferred with STEMI.Methods:We conducted a retrospective analysis of interfacility transfers from emergency departments (ED) to a single percutaneous coronary intervention center between 2011 –2014. We included emergency department (ED) patients transferred to the percutaneous coronary intervention center and excluded scene transfers and those given fibrinolytics. We calculated descriptive statistics and used multivariable linear regression to model the...
Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research