Direct Admission to the Cath Lab for Patients with STEMI

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 90 minutes is the recommended treatment goal for ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, recent studies have demonstrated that this goal is difficult to achieve. The authors of this British study prospectively evaluated the feasibility of admitting patients with STEMI directly from the ambulance to the catheterization lab for PCI.

Paramedics received special training in electrocardiogram interpretation, and patients with a paramedic diagnosis of STEMI were taken directly to a cath lab for PCI, completely bypassing the emergency department. Of 577 patients who underwent primary PCI during the 2-year study period, 172 were admitted directly to the cath lab and 405 wer…