In our new study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, we compared strategies to increase the use of PCI for patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Expanding patient access to PCI is critical to improving outcomes after heart attack and there are a range of approaches to accomplish this.
We found that an ambulance diversion strategy was more than two times more effective and nearly 20 times less costly than any strategy involving expansion of PCI capacity at hospitals. The results strongly favor the use of EMS diversion strategies, which are already in place in some areas of the United States. The authors concluded that construction and staffing of new PCI-capacity at hospitals may not be warranted if an EMS strategy is feasible.
A podcast on the study can be heard on MedPage Today: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/PCI/21405
Feel free to contact me directly to obtain a toll free link to the article: tconcannon@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
Citation:
Concannon TW, Kent DM, Normand SL, Newhouse JP, Griffith JL, Cohen J, Beshanksy JR, Wong JB, Aversano T, Selker HP, Comparative Effectiveness of STEMI Regionalization Strategies. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 3[5]. 2010.
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