Each year, nearly half a million people in the U.S. fall victim to the most deadly type of heart attack, ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (“STEMI”). A patient’s chances of survival depend on immediate action to restore blood flow to the heart. Studies have shown that length of time between the onset of a STEMI and treatment significantly impacts survivability. Currently fewer than half of STEMI patients receive treatment within the guideline-recommended timeframe.[1] In response, the American College of Cardiology introduced the Door to Balloon Initiative targeted at reducing the time between STEMI patient arrival at the hospital and treatment.
Prehospital 12-lead ECGs taken by EMTs enroute to the hospital can speed the diagnosis and reduce door-to-balloon times in the hands of cardiologists. High quality ECGs transmitted to the receiving hospital provides additional time for STEMI diagnosis, rather than waiting until the patient's arrival to prepare the cath lab for immediate treatment.
One solution to managing incoming STEMI cases is General Devices’ CAREpoint™ Workstation.
The CAREpoint™ Workstation manages 12-Lead reports received from EMS by 2-way radio or cellular wireless data and can forward them to Epiphany's Cardio Server across the hospital’s local area network, enabling en-route confirmation of ECG interpretation. Such early transmission of pre-hospital ECG data can be used to alert and mobilize catheterization teams, which may assist with reducing door-to-balloon times. By achieving ECG interpretation and diagnosis early on, a patient’s optimal care plan may be quickly established and treatment may be expedited.
The ECG taken at the time of ST elevation in the ambulance is stored in Cardio Server after being transmitted and becomes part of the patient's record as a stored ECG. Once stored in Cardio Server, the STEMI ECG becomes an integral part of the patient record. When the Cardiologist reads the next ECG to document any changes/improvements after the Coronary Angiogram is performed, the previous study is the point of reference for the cardiologists interpretation.
Since Epiphany accepts exports from CAREpoint™ workstations, the STEMI ECG is available to view from virtually anywhere with a standard web browser in Cardio Server. Cardiologists can even access the study from home or their smart devices. This is extremely beneficial, as it helps the hospital more easily and efficiently organize the proper team for the immediate next steps in the patient's care.
Epiphany is proud to be compatible with General Devices' CAREpoint™ to help reduce door-to-balloon times. For an extensive look at other devices we're compatible with, please visit www.epiphanycardio.com/compatibility.
