Fast and furious: Telecardiology in acute myocardial infarction triage in the emergency room setting

Summary We present a model of telecardiology ECG triage in cases of acute chest pain. A 61-year-old man with recurrent chest pain, radiating to the neck, was referred to the emergency room (ER) at Foggia University Hospital, Italy, with a red triage code. Due to a large number of red code patients present at the ER all immediately requiring medical examination for suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the patient first underwent ECG triage evaluation with the Cardio Vox P12 telecardiology recorder device by a nurse. The ECG was transmitted to the regional telecardiology hub, where the ECG was immediately read by a cardiologist; signs of an inferior ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) were present. The catheterisation lab was therefore immediately alerted and the patient underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within thirty minutes of hospitalisation. Therefore, in emergency settings with high-volume work-loads, telecardiology screening may “speed up” STEMI diagnosis and treatment.