METHODS
Following approvals from the appropriate Institutional Review Boards,
the STEMI coordinators at the six hospitals compiled de-identified
shelved data that had been collected for potential STEMI patients
admitted between January 1, 2016 and August 31, 2018. The data were
given to investigators for analysis; random numbers were assigned to the
six hospitals. The tool used by the STEMI coordinators included
variables as shown in Table 1. Using data provided on the collection
forms, the investigators determined which of the following scenarios was
present for each patient based on the possible methods patients received
management for STEMI:
- Scenario A: ED admission (either by EMS or as a walk-in), ECG
performed in ED, STEMI activation by ED physician and transported to
CCL.
- Scenario B: EMS personnel perform the ECG in the field (field ECG),
send ECG electronically to ED physician for activation, EMS personnel
transport the patient directly to CCL.
- Scenario C: EMS personnel perform the ECG in the field, ECG sent
electronically to ED physician for activation, EMS personnel transport
the patient to ED and patient transported to CCL by CCL personnel.