Background: Pre-hospital triage with ECG-transmission may reduce time to reperfusion in patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). Less, however, is known on potential benefit of ECG-transmission triage in mountain areas, with complex orography.
Methods: Patients admitted for STEMI and primary coronary angioplasty (pPCI) in a mountain area served by a single cathlab and triaged with ECG-transmission were enrolled in the study and compared with controls: patients' demographics and time to coronary wire were recorded.
Results: Forty-seven consecutive patients were enrolled in the study: 23 patients following ECG transmission and 24 STEMI patients who presented directly to the Emergency Department. At multivariable regression analysis, pre-hospital ECG-transmission electrocardiogram was an independent predictor of shorter time-to-wire (beta -0.34, p < 0.05). In case of transport times >30 min, ECG-transmission triage achieved time-to-wire times 20% shorter. Excluding unreducible transport time, avoidable delay was reduced by 38% in the whole population, by 48% in case of peripheral areas (transport time > 30 min from cathlab) and elderly (>80 years) patients (p < 0.05 in all cases).
Conclusions: Pre-hospital triage with ECG-transmission is associated with shorter ischemic time even in mountain areas with a complex orography profile. The benefit is greater in elderly patients and remote areas.
Keywords: ECG-transmission; Ischemic time; Mountain areas; Pre-hospital triage; STEMI; Telemedicine.
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