prehospital EKG transmission

Larry77, RN · Mar 10, 2009

How about just attaching the actual EKG they bring with them instead of the one they transmit to you?

needsmore$ · Mar 10, 2009

We are also looking into this as well, the ECGs are great to have but unless they can be scanned in I don't know how we can include THAT Faved copy to the chart--or perhaps a paper copy can by handed to the ED staff upon arrival -- similiar to when EMS draws labs with their IVS--they label them with pt name/SS# or DOB before handing them to the ED nurse

needsmore$ · Mar 10, 2009

Larry- GMTA

EMT-2-RN · Mar 11, 2009

We fax 12-leads in of STEMI pt's en route. We are required to put in the patients sex and age so the cath lab docs can see this. 1 copy is faxed directly to the cath lab and another to the ER. Can you not put a patient's ID sticker on the paper copy that EMS brings in and place it in the chart?

bjaeram · Mar 11, 2009

Why can't you just attach a pt label to it?

Do you really find these helpful. It seems like by the time we receive it and anyone gets it off the fax or has an MD look at it the pt is there. It doesn't really seem to save us any time. Maybe if someone was coming from out in the county somewhere but most ETA's are just a few minutes out.

Jennyw45013 · Mar 11, 2009

At our hospital, they put age, last name, and gender on the EKG before they transmit. When the patient arrives, we stamp it with pt. information and put in the chart.

Duffy v. 2.0 · Mar 11, 2009

Do you really find these helpful. It seems like by the time we receive it and anyone gets it off the fax or has an MD look at it the pt is there. It doesn't really seem to save us any time.

If you are getting the transmission when they are rolling through the doors this defeats the purpose. You need to examine your protocols. In my system all CP's receive a prehospital 12 lead within 5 min of patient contact and it is faxed immediately. The ER doctor is contacted and the decision to retavase in the field or not is made. Sometimes, based on the field 12 lead and medic's report the pt may even bypass the er and go straight to cath lab. This greatly reduces the door to balloon time.

Although it is time consuming, lifepak 12's and zoll e series have the capabilities of entering patient identifying info.

Medic09, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Mar 11, 2009

Although it is time consuming, lifepak 12's and zoll e series have the capabilities of entering patient identifying info.

True, but it's one more thing I don't need to be doing out there with a worsening pt. on my hands. When I'm in-house 'nursing' there's an EKG tech, and ER tech, and usually another nurse or more all helping get the patient cared for. When I'm on the bus 'paramedicking' I'm lucky if I have one partner who's an EMT of any level. Or, on my flight job I have a skilled, knowledgeable partner; but there's still only two of us initiating care and expediting our getaway to get the pt. where they really need to be.

Entering data takes only another minute, but it's a minute I'd rather use in other ways. Prehospital I can't make a mistake in identity, as we have only one pt. at a time in such situations (barring, of course, an MCI). Sticking a label on with handoff to the ED nurse seems like a good solution to me.

Larry77, RN · Mar 11, 2009

Larry- GMTA

I'm I missing something here? I have no idea what GMTA is...

needsmore$ · Mar 11, 2009

Great minds think alike=GMTA

bjaeram · Mar 11, 2009

If you are getting the transmission when they are rolling through the doors this defeats the purpose. You need to examine your protocols. In my system all CP's receive a prehospital 12 lead within 5 min of patient contact and it is faxed immediately. The ER doctor is contacted and the decision to retavase in the field or not is made. Sometimes, based on the field 12 lead and medic's report the pt may even bypass the er and go straight to cath lab. This greatly reduces the door to balloon time.
Although it is time consuming, lifepak 12's and zoll e series have the capabilities of entering patient identifying info.

That does sound much more effective then our system. I have never had a medic give retavase in the field. They also are not allowed to go directly to cath lab without a cardiologist seeing them. In fact the ER MD never activates the cath lab only the cardiologist does. We generally get people to the cath lab fairly quickly but how nice would it be to bypass the ER completly!