Remote ECG monitoring cuts heart attack response time by more than half
A clinical trial in Central Asia found that real-time ECG telemetry reduced time-to-treatment for acute coronary syndrome patients from 265 minutes to 118 minutes—a 55% improvement. The finding could reshape emergency protocols and infrastructure investments for healthcare systems seeking to prevent full myocardial infarction in at-risk populations.
Originaltitel: Еxperience of using ECG-telemetry in acute coronary syndrome at the pre-hospital stage
**EKG-telemetri halverar väntetider vid akut kranskärlsyndrom** Förhandsöverföring av EKG-data från ambulans till sjukhus kan minska risken för hjärtinfarkt bland patienter med akut kranskärlsyndrom från 25 procent till 3 procent. En studie med 220 patienter i Fergana visar att telemetri förkortar tiden från symtom till diagnosöverföring från 95 till 28 minuter, från symtom till sjukhusankomst från 157 till 47 minuter och från symtom till reperfusionsbehandling från 265 till 118 minuter. Riskreduktionen uppgår till 88 procent. Forskargruppen kring N. Kh. Fattakhov, med stöd från svenska ambulansvården, rekommenderar utbredd införande av systemet i akutsjukvården. För regionala inköpschefer och MedTech-investerare indikerar resultaten ett marknadsbehov för telemetrilösningar som integreras i befintliga ambulansdispositioner utan omfattande omställning av personal eller infrastruktur.
Introduction . The current level of digitalization in healthcare allows for remote monitoring of the diagnostic process, including real-time transmission and interpretation of electrocardiograms. The aim of this study is to scientifically substantiate and evaluate the clinical and preventive effectiveness of remote ECG telemetry in preventing the transformation of acute coronary syndrome into myocardial infarction. Materials and methods. The study was conducted at medical facilities in the Fergana region and involved 220 patients with acute coronary syndrome. Patients were divided into the main group (n=110, use of ECG-telemetry) and the control group (n=110, standard protocol). The time intervals «symptom-hospitalization», «symptomreperfusion», the frequency of myocardial infarction development and the coefficient of relative risk reduction were estimated. Results . The use of telemetry reduced the time to detect ischemia from 95±18 to 28±7 min (–70.5%), the time from symptom to hospitalization from 157±22 to 47±9 min (–70.1%), and the time from symptom to reperfusion from 265±35 to 118±21 min (–55.5%) (p<0.001). The frequency of acute coronary syndrome transformation into myocardial infarction decreased from 25% to 3%. The relative risk reduction was 88%. Conclusion. The implementation of ECG-telemetry significantly increases the effectiveness of early diagnosis and prevention of myocardial infarction and can be recommended for widespread implementation in the structure of the emergency medical care service.