Thirteenth bethesda conference: Emergency cardiac care☆

The specific objective of this Conference was to provide guidelines for optimal emergency cardiac care before hospital admission, in the Emergency Department and in the 6 hours after hospital admission. In recognition of the rapidly increasing complexity and costs of cardiologic care, the focus was on options by which the highest quality of life-saving cardiac care could be consistently and economically delivered in the context of current Emergency Medical Service systems and the resources of community hospitals. Methods of organization, staffing and patient care were evaluated together with specific professional requirements for competent diagnosis and treatment. The Conference sought to delineate those components that are of proven value and importance and to identify practices that would best be curtailed or discontinued.