Background: Regional variations in reperfusion times and mortality in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction are influenced by differences in coordinating care between emergency medical services (EMS) and hospitals. Building on the Accelerator-1 Project, we hypothesized that time to reperfusion could be further reduced with enhanced regional efforts.
Methods: Between April 2015 and March 2017, we worked with 12 metropolitan regions across the United States with 132 percutaneous coronary intervention-capable hospitals and 946 EMS agencies.
Background: The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline STEMI (ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction) Systems Accelerator program, conducted in 16 regions across the United States to improve key care processes, resulted in more patients being treated within national guideline goals (time from first medical contact to device: <90 minutes for direct presenters to hospitals capable of performing percutaneous coronary intervention; <120 minutes for transfers). We examined whether the effort reduced reperfusion disparities in the proportions of female versus male and black versus white patients.
Methods And Results: In total, 23 809 patients (29.
Importance: Little is known about the influence of comprehensive public health initiatives according to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) location, particularly at home, where resuscitation efforts and outcomes have historically been poor.
Objective: To describe temporal trends in bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first-responder defibrillation for OHCAs stratified by home vs public location and their association with survival and neurological outcomes.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This observational study reviewed 8269 patients with OHCAs (5602 [67.
Background: The Mission: Lifeline STEMI Systems Accelerator program, implemented in 16 US metropolitan regions, resulted in more patients receiving timely reperfusion. We assessed whether implementing key care processes was associated with system performance improvement.
Methods And Results: Hospitals (n=167 with 23 498 ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients) were surveyed before (March 2012) and after (July 2014) program intervention.
Background: Up to 50% of patients fail to meet ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) guideline goals recommending a first medical contact-to-device time of <90 minutes for patients directly presenting to percutaneous coronary intervention-capable hospitals and <120 minutes for transferred patients. We sought to increase the proportion of patients treated within guideline goals by organizing coordinated regional reperfusion plans.
Methods: We established leadership teams, coordinated protocols, and provided regular feedback for 484 hospitals and 1253 emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in 16 regions across the United States.
Background: Among patients identified prehospital with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, emergency medical service transport from the field directly to the catheterization laboratory, thereby bypassing the emergency department (ED), may shorten time to reperfusion.
Methods And Results: We studied 1687 patients identified prehospital with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction from the Reperfusion in Acute Myocardial Infarction in Carolina Emergency Departments (RACE) project, transported via emergency medical service directly to 21 North Carolina hospitals for primary percutaneous coronary intervention between July 2008 and December 2009. Treatment time intervals were compared between patients evaluated in the ED (ED evaluation) and those transported directly to the catheterization laboratory (ED bypass).
Background: Emergency medical services (EMS) are critical in the treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Prehospital system delays are an important target for improving timely STEMI care, yet few limited data are available.
Methods: Using a deterministic approach, we merged EMS data from the North Carolina Pre-hospital Medical Information System (PreMIS) with data from the Reperfusion of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Carolina Emergency Departments-Emergency Response (RACE-ER) Project.
Background: The ultimate treatment goal for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is rapid reperfusion via primary percutaneous intervention (PCI). North Carolina has adopted a statewide STEMI referral strategy that advises paramedics to bypass local hospitals and transport STEMI patients directly to a PCI-capable hospital, even if a non-PCI-capable hospital is closer.
Methods And Results: We assessed the adherence of emergency medical services to this STEMI protocol, as well as subsequent associations with patient treatment times and outcomes by linking data from the Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network Registry(®)-Get With the Guidelines(™) and a statewide emergency medical services data system from June 2008 to September 2010 for all patients with STEMI.
Background: Despite national guidelines calling for timely coronary artery reperfusion, treatment is often delayed, particularly for patients requiring interhospital transfer.
Methods And Results: One hundred nineteen North Carolina hospitals developed coordinated plans to rapidly treat patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction according to presentation: walk-in, ambulance, or hospital transfer. A total of 6841 patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (3907 directly presenting to 21 percutaneous coronary intervention hospitals, 2933 transferred from 98 non-percutaneous coronary intervention hospitals) were treated between July 2008 and December 2009 (age, 59 years; 30% women; 19% uninsured; chest pain duration, 91 minutes; shock, 9.
Background: For patients with an acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) activation by emergency medical technicians or emergency physicians has been shown to substantially reduce treatment times. One drawback to this approach involves overtriage, whereby CCL staffs are activated for patients who ultimately do not require emergent coronary angiography or for patients who undergo angiography but are not found to have coronary artery occlusion.
Methods And Results: We examined CCL activation at 14 primary angioplasty hospitals to determine the course of management, including the rate of inappropriate activation.