The purpose of this study is to see whether individuals who access the "911" emergency medical system with a heart attack or severe chest pain will receive more timely hospital treatment and better outcomes if hospital clinicians are provided with earlier and more complete electrocardiography (ECG) information.
This is a Phase III study. Patients will be randomized (like tossing a coin) to 1 of 2 groups: Group 1: Patients will have pre-hospital ECG intervention. Group 2: Patients will have routine emergency heart care. Information will be collected about time symptoms started, clinical management, and other measures. All patients will be contacted by telephone 12 months later and interviewed as to whether they experienced any cardiac symptoms.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
794
Pre-hospital electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring with special software to detect myocardial ischemia and to automatically transmit an ECG to the destination hospital emergency department with a voice alarm announcing "Incoming ECG from the field" and print out in the ED.
ECG in the ED as part of routine clinical practice.
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States
Hospital Time to Treatment for Patients With Unstable Angina/Non-STEMI
Time from ED arrival to first drug was determined as recommended by American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2007 guidelines for management of patients with unstable angina/non-STEMI
Time frame: Day 1
Hospital Time to Treatment for Patients With ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)
Mean door-to-balloon time
Time frame: Day 1
Rehospitalization and Mortality
Time frame: 4 years
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