Abstract 20583: Prehospital Electrocardiogram Transmission is Associated With Decreased First Medical Contact to Device Time in a Large Urban Emergency Medical Services System

Introduction: Early recognition and rapid revascularization is associated with improved outcomes in patients with STEMI. Increasingly, prehospital providers acquire ECGs, transport patients to PCI-ready hospitals, and activate interventional cardiology teams in advance of arrival (“door time”). Therefore, the time from first medical contact (FMC) with either EMS providers or the emergency department may be an important metric for overall system performance in the care of patients with STEMI. Hypothesis: A prehospital ECG transmission program will be associated with a decreased median FMC to revascularization device deployment time. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of Action Registry-GWTG data in Chicago was performed. The Chicago Fire Department implemented a 12-lead ECG program in 2012. Patients with confirmed STEMI from January through December 2013 were included. A baseline median FMC to device time was determined for the third quarter of 2012, at the start of the ECG program. Descriptive statisti...