Transmitting STEMI EKGs pre hospital

[bikERdoc]

Trying to do some research for my local group.

Anyone out there transmitting ekgs prehospital from medics to hospital either via phone or computer?

Does it go to your cardiologists as well?

For the EMS junkies, do you have any companies to check out that are HIPAA compliant and economical?

How well does it work for those out there who are doing this? Pushback from the medics?

Seems the tech is easily available but we're struggling to get it implemented locally.

Thanks!

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[carbonizedeyesockets]

Medtronic LIFENET for receiving and sending. Goes to the ED only. Haven’t encountered push back from medics. They’re usually enthusiastic about it.

 

[NYEMMED]

Trying to do some research for my local group.

Anyone out there transmitting ekgs prehospital from medics to hospital either via phone or computer?

Does it go to your cardiologists as well?

For the EMS junkies, do you have any companies to check out that are HIPAA compliant and economical?

How well does it work for those out there who are doing this? Pushback from the medics?

Seems the tech is easily available but we're struggling to get it implemented locally.

Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Pulsara,

EMS can transmit to the ED, the ED doc can then activate a STEMI alert and transmit to interventional cardiology and Cath lab

 

[CajunMedic]

My wife's agency uses Zoll RescueNet to transmit to the ED's with the X-Series Monitor.

 

[WilcoWorld]

Medtronic LIFENET for receiving and sending. Goes to the ED only. Haven’t encountered push back from medics. They’re usually enthusiastic about it.

We use LIFENET as well. I've activated the cath lab on a couple very obvious prehospital tracings resulting in some negative door-to-activation times.

I'm a fan.

 

[Cryc_to_the_point]

They activate on our word. However, Zoll's system can be set to send to the ED and Cardiology.

 

[southerndoc]

Several things occur when EMS has a STEMI where I practice:

1. EKG is transmitted via LifeNet to destination ED (both part of same health system). This is automatically printed.
2. EKG is simultaneously transmitted to the interventional cardiologist on-call at the receiving facility (they can access on their phone).
3. As medical director, the EKG is automatically emailed to me when it's uploaded/transmitted.

Paramedics activate the cath lab without consultation with a physician, but anyone reviewing the EKG can cancel the activation (rarely happens). They receive training on 12-lead EKG interpretation every 2 years. Our false activation rate is about 10-15% every month in a very busy system (20-25 pre-hospital activations monthly). Between 7a-5p the cath lab is in-house. Patients go straight from the ambulance bay to the cath lab bypassing the ER when the cath lab is in-house.

 

[Groove]

Trying to do some research for my local group.

Anyone out there transmitting ekgs prehospital from medics to hospital either via phone or computer?

Does it go to your cardiologists as well?

For the EMS junkies, do you have any companies to check out that are HIPAA compliant and economical?

How well does it work for those out there who are doing this? Pushback from the medics?

Seems the tech is easily available but we're struggling to get it implemented locally.

Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

We use Lifenet also. EMS personnel have embraced it and routinely transmit pre-hospital EKGs. They are transmitted to the ER and not to cardiology where the ER doc has to interpret the presence or absence of STEMI and puts his or her initials on the EKG. I think the system works great and I have personally activated the cath lab on more than one occasion by a pre-arrival EKG alone.

 

[bikERdoc]

Super helpful. Thanks all for the replies.

 

[enalli]

Several things occur when EMS has a STEMI where I practice:

1. EKG is transmitted via LifeNet to destination ED (both part of same health system). This is automatically printed.
2. EKG is simultaneously transmitted to the interventional cardiologist on-call at the receiving facility (they can access on their phone).
3. As medical director, the EKG is automatically emailed to me when it's uploaded/transmitted.

Paramedics activate the cath lab without consultation with a physician, but anyone reviewing the EKG can cancel the activation (rarely happens). They receive training on 12-lead EKG interpretation every 2 years. Our false activation rate is about 10-15% every month in a very busy system (20-25 pre-hospital activations monthly). Between 7a-5p the cath lab is in-house. Patients go straight from the ambulance bay to the cath lab bypassing the ER when the cath lab is in-house.

This is a cool system, particularly the part about bypassing the ED when cath lab is in-house. Did you have any push-back when implementing that part of the plan?

 

[gman33]

I'd like to figure out a way to get EMS to stop sending EKGs.
I probably personally read 10-20 from EMS every shift.
Most are unreadable or irrelevant.

To date, I've never had one where I activated the cath lab without EMS calling saying they had a stemi.

I'd like them to send it only if they think it needs an activation and I'd review and say yes or no.
That's not what happens now.

 

[southerndoc]

This is a cool system, particularly the part about bypassing the ED when cath lab is in-house. Did you have any push-back when implementing that part of the plan?

Believe it or not, it was the cardiology group's idea!

 

[nlax30]

Where I did IM and Cardio training we were a local STEMI receiving center and the county EMS used LIFENET as well. EMS would transmit ECG to the ED and ED doc could then activate the cath lab. If it was between certain specific hours then we also had an ED bypass protocol and patient would come straight through to cath lab by EMS. As far as I know EKGs just went to the ED where they were printed but back in the cath labs we had LIFENET alerts on those computers and the alert and EKG would pop up on screen so if it was during they day while we were in the lab we instantly see it anyway.

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

Check out “Stop STEMI” by Pulsara.

Trying to do some research for my local group.

Anyone out there transmitting ekgs prehospital from medics to hospital either via phone or computer?

Does it go to your cardiologists as well?

For the EMS junkies, do you have any companies to check out that are HIPAA compliant and economical?

How well does it work for those out there who are doing this? Pushback from the medics?

Seems the tech is easily available but we're struggling to get it implemented locally.

Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[deleted109597]

Are there still places that aren't doing this? I've got a <10k town with 1 fulltime box and we do it. And we aren't terribly aggressive with new things due to money reasons.

 

[InternistDO]

Are there still places that aren't doing this? I've got a <10k town with 1 fulltime box and we do it. And we aren't terribly aggressive with new things due to money reasons.

My old service still can't transmit, STEMI alerts are paramedic activated over the phone and then confirmed by the ED doc on arrival. They then usually bypass the ED and go straight to the cath lab. This is a busy urban/suburban service in the Northeast.

As for why they can't get Lifenet to work I have no idea.