Novel mobile telemedicine system for real‐time transmission of out‐of‐hospital ECG data for ST‐elevation myocardial infarction

The guidelines recommend routine use of 12‐lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and advance notification to the emergency department for patients with ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, transmission of out‐of‐hospital 12‐lead ECG to emergency department is still not widely practiced and ECG interpretation before arrival at the emergency department is not established. We have developed a novel mobile telemedicine system to transmit real‐time 12‐lead ECG data between moving ambulances and in‐hospital physicians in cardiovascular emergency cases. When used, this system immediately identifies patients with STEMI and it is coupled to a centralized system to alert the cardiac catheterization teams to prepare for prompt intervention. This report presents the first case with STEMI who was successfully treated using this novel mobile telemedicine system. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.