Once again routine earns its pay.

So 90 minutes is the goal? But is there anything magic about the 90 minute time? And how much better or worse does someone do if they get to the cath lab earlier or later than the 90 minutes?

“The routine use of high-flow oxygen in uncomplicated MI may result in a greater infarct size and possibly increase the risk of mortality.”

When we arrive at the cardiologist’s office, we are led down the hall to our patient’s room where a 12-lead machine is spitting out an ECG. I can see the ST elevation from the doorway.

He is ghostly pale. There is vomit in the waste basket. I touch his forehead and it is as soggy as a sponge.

I’ve been spending a great deal of time at my clinical coordinator job looking at STEMI cases, as well as putting together educational material. When we take a class in STEMI recognition, the ECGs, once you know how to read them, are all pretty clear cut. You can flash the 12-leads on the screen and […]

As I mentioned in a recent post, we have a process for instituting a STEMI alert to, in consultation with an ED doctor, activate the cath lab prehospitally based on clinical assessment and a 12-Lead ECG. The coordinator at the hospital that I transport most of my patients to told me so far EMS is […]