Role of primary care physicians in treating patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction located in remote areas (from the REseau Nord-Alpin des Urgences [RENAU], Network).

Background: European guidelines for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) encourage healthcare networks to increase rates of, and decrease delays to, reperfusion. We examined the impact of training primary care physicians (PCPs) to use equipment for pre-hospital management of STEMI patients in remote areas.

Methods And Results: A network for cardiac emergencies was set up in the French Northern Alps in 2002 and a registry of STEMI patients has been kept since.