J Korean Med Sci.  2008 Aug;23(4):706-710. 10.3346/jkms.2008.23.4.706.

The Effect of Direct Communication between Emergency Physicians and Interventional Cardiologists on Door to Balloon Times in STEMI

• Kwak MJ
• Kim K
• Rhee JE
• Shin JH
• Suh GJ
• Jo YS
• Youn TJ
• Chung WY
• Chae IH
• Choi DJ
• Lee CC
• Singer AJ

• KMID: 1785833
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2008.23.4.706

Abstract

We developed an institutional protocol mandating emergency physicians to contact the interventional cardiologist directly in all cases of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and hypothesized that this would reduce door-to-balloontimes (DTBT). From January 2004 to July 2006, 208 patients with STEMI were treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A total of 144 patients were treated before implementing the new protocol ("before") and 64 patients were treated after the implementation ("after"). The DTBT was significantly reduced from 148+/-101 min to 108+/-56 min (p<0.05). While only 25% of the "before'' patients received PCI within 90 min after arrival, 50% of the "after'' patients received PCI within 90 min (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between two groups in other outcomes (postprocedural TIMI flow, mortality, subsequent stroke, heart failure, shock, reinfarction, length of stay in intensive care unit, and the total hospital length of stay). In conclusion, mandating emergency physicians to directly notify interventional cardiologists of all STEMI patients reduces DTBT.

Keyword

Cornea; Myocardial infarction; Reperfusion; Electrocardiography

MeSH Terms

Aged
*Angioplasty, Transluminal, Percutaneous Coronary
Communication
Electrocardiography
Emergency Service, Hospital/*organization & administration
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Myocardial Infarction/*therapy
Patient Care Team/*organization & administration
Physicians
Time Factors

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Flow chart for patients with chest pain.

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  Fig. 2 Comparison of percentage of door-to-balloon-times within 60 or 90 min in STEMI patients between the two study groups.

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