Outcomes of Physician-Staffed Versus Non-Physician-Staffed Helicopter Transport for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction [Coronary Heart Disease]

BackgroundThe effect of physician‐staffed helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) on ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patient transfer is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of physician‐staffed HEMS (Physician‐HEMS) versus non‐physician‐staffed (Standard‐HEMS) in patients with STEMI.Methods and ResultsWe studied 398 STEMI patients transferred by either Physician‐HEMS (n=327) or Standard‐HEMS (n=71) for primary or rescue percutaneous coronary intervention at 2 hospitals between 2006 and 2014. Data were collected from electronic medical records and each institution's contribution to the National Cardiovascular Data Registry. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Median electrocardiogram‐to‐balloon time was longer for the Standard‐HEMS group than for the Physician‐HEMS group (118 vs 107 minutes; P=0.002). The Standard‐HEMS group was more likely than the Physician‐HEMS group to receive nitroglycerin (37% vs 15%; P

Source: JAHA:Journal of the American Heart Association - February 2, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Gunnarsson, S. I., Mitchell, J., Busch, M. S., Larson, B., Gharacholou, S. M., Li, Z., Raval, A. N. Tags: Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Quality and Outcomes, Acute Coronary Syndromes Original Research Source Type: research