Telephonic transmission of 12-lead electrocardiograms during acute myocardial infarction

To test the feasibility of a small and simple system for telephonic transmission of 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs), 70 patients with acute coronary syndrome admitted to the cardiac care unit (CCU) were included in a feasibility study. The transmission system consisted of a belt with multiple electrodes, which was positioned around the chest. The ECG signal was sent to a call centre via a standard telephone line. In parallel, a standard 12-lead ECG was recorded on site. In a retrospective analysis, each lead of the transmitted ECG was compared with the on-site 12-lead ECG with regard to ST-segment changes and final diagnosis. In all 37 patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction, the diagnosis was correctly established on the basis of telephone-transmitted ECGs. In 96% of limb and 88% of chest leads, ST elevations which were visible in standard ECGs were correctly displayed on telephonically transmitted ECGs. In the remaining 33 patients no false-positive diagnosis was made using transtelephonic ECG analysis. A control group of 31 patients without apparent heart disease showed high concordance between standard ECGs and telephonically transmitted ECGs. Telephonically transmitted 12-lead ECGs interpreted by a hospital-based internist/cardiologist might allow a rapid and accurate diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction and may increase diagnostic safety for the emergency staff during prehospital decision making and treatment of acute myocardial infarction.     

Tele-electrocardiography in the epidemiological 'Study of Health in Pomerania' (SHIP)

We have evaluated a portable electrocardiogram (ECG) card in the large population-based epidemiological 'Study of Health in Pomerania' (SHIP). In all, 7008 men and women (20-79 years) were randomly selected from population registries and 4310 subjects participated. Participants used an ECG card for four weeks and recorded two ECGs daily. The participants were also encouraged to record additional ECGs in the case of symptomatic arrhythmias, chest pain or dizziness. The ECGs were sent via telephone. Acrobat (.pdf) files arrived at the study centre via email. Arrhythmias were analysed by visual ECG inspection. Seventy-one per cent of the participants sent at least 80% of the requested ECGs for four weeks. There were few problems (about 70) in the total of 38,162 ECGs transmitted. Overall, 94% of all ECGs were rated as 'good'. Physicians required about 1.5 h to read approximately 100 ECGs daily. The functionality and ergonomics of ECG cards appear to be sufficiently developed for large-scale use in epidemiological studies.     

冠心病急性心肌梗塞超急性期心电图研究

目的 研究冠心病急性心肌梗塞超急性期心电图改变，降低其病死率。方法 选择冠心病急性心肌梗死(超急性期)患者126例,追踪描记12导联心电图，予以分析研究。结果研究显示前壁心肌梗塞61例、前间壁心肌梗塞26例、前壁及下壁心肌梗塞9例、下壁心肌梗塞22例、正后壁心肌梗塞8例、伴有急性损伤阻滞者56例，其心电图改变符合急性心肌梗塞超急性期特点。结论 心电图ST段、T波、R波的改变及假性正常化等对冠心病急性心肌梗塞超急性期的诊断具有重要意义。     

Diagnostic criteria for hospitalized acute myocardial infarction: the Minnesota experience

Standardized diagnostic algorithms are needed for systematic surveillance of hospitalized acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Ambiguities in diagnostic classification are resolvable to the extent that objective information is available in the hospital chart. In this study of diagnostic algorithms, serum cardiac enzyme levels, especially creatine kinase total (CK-TOT) and creatine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB) isoenzyme, were most closely correlated with the physician-reviewer diagnostic assignment used for validation; chest pain and electrocardiographic findings were less closely correlated. In addition, a close relationship was noted between the clinician's diagnostic impression and testing procedures and the final hospital discharge diagnosis. Thus, the algorithm should include discharge diagnosis as a classification element. The algorithm for cases discharged as acute myocardial infarction should be very sensitive, tending to call cases acute myocardial infarction. Other discharge diagnoses may harbour some clinically unrecognized myocardial infarction cases; however, the algorithm for such cases should be restrictive and specific to minimize false positives. These findings indicate optimal ways of combining clinical characteristics to most completely and accurately identify cases of acute myocardial infarction based on hospital records examined in retrospect.     

急性心肌梗死急诊介入治疗后心肌组织水平再灌注评价方法对比研究

目的 应用TIMI心肌灌注分级(TMPG)、单个导联ST段回落幅度(单导STR)、单个导联ST段最大偏移幅度(MaxSTE)三种方法评价急性心肌梗死(AMI)急诊经皮冠状动脉介入治疗(PCI)后心肌组织水平再灌注情况.方法 42例AMI患者急诊PCI后采用TMPG、单导STR、MaxSTE方法评价心肌组织水平再灌注情况,并于术后行99mTc-甲氧基异丁基异腈(MIBI)单光子发射型计算机体层摄影(SPECT)心肌灌注显像.结果 与99mTc-MIBI SPECT心肌灌注显像对比,TMPG灵敏度93.75%,特异度20.00%,准确度76.19%;单导STR灵敏度87.50%,特异度80.00%,准确度85.71%;MaxSTE灵敏度81.25%,特异度80.00%,准确度80.95%.单导STB、MaxSTE与99MTc-MIBI SPECT心肌灌注显像检查均存在一致性(P<0.05),且一致性良好;TMPG未显示与99MTc-MIBI SPECT心肌灌注显像检查存在一致性.结论 单导STR和MaxSTE可较好地评价AMI后心肌组织水平再灌注情况.     

Limiting the playing field: does restricting the number of possible diagnoses reduce errors due to diagnosis‐specific feature identification?

INTRODUCTION: Diagnostic hypotheses influence the identification of clinical features by medical trainees. This influence is strong enough to lead students to interpret features incorrectly if the initial diagnostic suggestion is incorrect. In the present study, we investigated whether reducing the pool of possible diagnoses at the time of test to a few highly plausible alternatives would focus the search for and interpretation of clinical features on a few alternative diagnoses and, as a result, reduce the influence of an initial diagnostic hypothesis on feature identification. METHODS: Naive students were taught 10 electrocardiographic (ECG) diagnoses. At test, they were asked to report all features visible on new ECGs. The test ECGs were presented with the suggestion of a tentative diagnosis (either the correct diagnosis or a plausible alternative) under 2 conditions: students were either instructed that the ECG represented one of 3 possible diagnoses (which were explicitly mentioned), or they were instructed that the ECG might represent any of the 10 diagnoses learned. RESULTS: Students' identification of the ECG features was strongly influenced by the diagnostic suggestion. Reducing the number of alternatives available at the time of test did not reduce the impact of a diagnostic suggestion on feature interpretation. DISCUSSION: Increasing the salience of alternative hypotheses does not reduce the impact of a diagnostic suggestion on the interpretation of clinical features.     

LCD便携式急救心电监护仪的研制

介绍了一种采用AT89C51单片机和图形LCD显示器技术而设计的便携式急救心电监护仪，它能提供实时，准确，高清晰度显示的心电（ECG）波形和主要心电参数的数字显示，这些参数通过ECG自动分析处理技术得到的，该计分表还有心律失常监护，心肌梗塞贴药急救，报警参灵敏设置和记录报警时的心电信号从医生作回顾分析等多种功能，具有体积小，成本低的优点。心肌梗塞贴药急救，报警参数设置和记录报警时的心电信号供医生作回顾分析等多种功能，具有体积小，成本低的优点，特别适用于家庭医护以及急救情况下的临床诊断和监护，文中给出了仪器的硬件。软件设计。     

Managing and analysing a large health-care system database for predicting in-hospital mortality among acute myocardial infarction patients.

There is increasing interest in the identification of predictors of risk for in-hospital mortality due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study identified significant predictors of in-hospital mortality among AMI patients using a patient level clinical database. The study population consisted of 4167 cases admitted between October 1999 and April 2001 with a principal diagnosis of AMI to 36 hospitals in three US states. Of the 182 available variables in the clinical data set, 30 variables were used as candidate predictors, and 19 showed significant univariate association with AMI in-hospital mortality. By applying multiple logistic regression and stepwise selection, a final prediction model for AMI in-hospital mortality was developed. Variables included in the final model were age, arrived from cardiac rehabilitation centre, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on arrival, Killip class, AMI with co-morbid conditions, AMI with complications, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) performed, beta-blockers given, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors given, Plavix given. A 10-variable in-hospital mortality prediction model for AMI patients, which includes both risk factors and beneficial treatment procedures, was developed. chi(2) goodness of fit test suggested a good fit for the model.     

Evaluation of electrocardiogram's interpretation in the emergency department

The aim of this study was to determine the concordance of emergency physicians' and cardiologists' interpretations of emergency department (ED) electrocardiograms (ECG) and to evaluate the impact of ECG misinterpretation on patient management. From December 1993 to April 1994 one hundred ninety five ECG interpretations (3.3% of all consultants) were registered prospectively using a programmed-response data sheet. A second blinded interpretation by a cardiologist was performed and compared with the emergency physicians' interpretations. The overall concordance between emergency physicians' and cardiologist ECG interpretations was observed in 149 (76%) cases (kappa = 0.41). The concordance rate was lower in abnormal ECGs (kappa = 0.19). Conclusion: In our study, the quality of ECG interpretation by ED physicians is satisfactory and the rare misinterpretations have minimal clinical impact.     

老年冠心病患者并发急性心肌梗死危险因素分析

目的 采用DisMod校正法判断天津市2007 — 2015年发病监测系统中急性心肌梗死（AMI）发病报告的完整性。 方法 收集天津市2007 — 2015年发病监测数据和死因登记数据中的AMI发病率和死亡率及健康测量评估研究所公布的AMI缓解率,应用DisModⅡ模型估算校正后的AMI死亡发病比（M/I）,对DisMod法和直接法计算的M/I值进行差异性检验,并根据DisMod法估算的发病率估计现有发病检测系统的漏报率。 结果 天津市2007 — 2015年AMI的M/I值经DisMod法校正后为0.49～0.97,均 < 1;在 ≥ 65岁人群中,直接法计算AMI的M/I值均较DisMod法计算的M/I值大,差异均有统计学意义（均P < 0.05）;DisMod法校正估算的总发病数与原始发病数比较,平均每年DisMod法校正估算的发病数（11 837例）大于原始发病数（8 563例）,尤其在 ≥ 65岁人群;按照DisMod法校正发病死亡的关系后,发病监测系统每年的平均漏报率在26.4 %,≥ 65岁人群平均漏报率为42.9 %。 结论 天津市AMI发病监测系统可能存在一定漏报,尤其是 ≥ 65岁人群,可采用DisMod校正法来判断AMI发病/患病监测系统的完整性。     

The validity of hospital discharge register data on coronary heart disease in Finland

We studied the validity of the Finnish hospital discharge register data on coronary heart disease (CHD) for the purposes of epidemiologic studies and health services research. The Finnish nationwide hospital discharge register (HDR) was linked with the FINMONICA acute myocardial infarction (AMI) register for the years 1983–1990. The frequency of errors in the HDR was assessed separately. Between 8% and 13% of hospitalized AMI events registered in the AMI Register were not found in the HDR with an ICD code for CHD. Problems with the register linkage and the use of some ICD code other than one of the codes for CHD explained these missing events. The frequency of errors in the personal identification number was about 5% in the early 1980s. After 1986 errors were found only occasionally. The diagnosis recorded in the HDR was the same as that in the discharge sheet in about 95% of hospitalizations. The positive predictive value of the ICD code 410 (AMI), compared with the FINMONICA definite+possible AMI category, was very high and stable, about 90% in all areas and all hospitals, but it sensitivity varied from 50% at local hospitals to 80% at central hospitals. In summary, data on CHD obtained from the Finnish hospital discharge register give, on average, a correct picture on changes in the occurrence of AMI in Finland and can, with necessary caution, be used in epidemiological studies and health services research. However, the classification of individual cases is not standardized in the HDR, but varies over time, between geographical areas and the levels of care. Therefore, these data should not be used without confirmation in studies where correct classification of individual outcomes is of crucial importance, such as follow-up studies and case-control studies.     

心肌梗塞监护与急救仪的设计开发

讨论一种便携式心肌梗塞监护系统的设计。该系统兼有一般的心电监护和急性心肌梗塞的报警及贴药的功能，并可提供实时、难确的心电参数供医护人员诊断之用。     

Explaining cost variations in DRGs 'Acute Myocardial Infarction' by severity of illness

The empirical relationship is analyzed between the severity of illness and costs of medical care for 464 patients classified into DRGs 121-123, Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), in the University Hospital, Maastricht. Severity of cardiac and cardiovascular disorders characteristic of acute myocardial infarction is defined and operationalized in a sense that closely resembles the clinical practice of cardiologists. The effect of the severity of illness on DRG cost variations is studied separately for the costs of acute care (such as thrombolytic therapy, cardiac catheterization and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)), length of hospital stay, costs of intensive nursing care at the coronary care unit (CCU) and the costs of ECGs, laboratory tests, echocardiography, exercise tests and drugs. For AMI patients, severity of illness measured by specific clinical criteria is found to give better predictions (higher R2) for costs of medical care than the DRG classification.     

新疆地区30000名哈萨克族成年人心电图明尼苏达编码分析

目的 研究新疆哈萨克族(哈族)成年人心电图异常编码的分布及特点.方法 在新疆北疆3个地区整群随机抽样连续检查30 000名哈族成年人血压和心电图,采用WHO推荐的明尼苏达心电图编码分类法,对心电图进行分析.结果 心电图总异常编码率为248.60‰,男性主要异常编码率为146.83‰,女性为157.71‰,ST-T异常检出率为100.03‰.心律失常总检出率为71.17‰,心房颤动(房颤)为2.83‰.主要异常编码率3个地区差异有统计学意义.结论 哈族成年人群心电图异常编码检出率较高,主要异常编码与高血压显著相关,房颤患病率与国内相关文献报道不一致.     

Application of diagnostic criteria in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction.

A random sample of all patients with a registered diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was selected from the hospitalisation register of Stockholm County in 1973. The sample consisted of 269 patients. The medical records of these patients were scrutinized concerning the fulfilment of criteria of a diagnosis of AMI. The criteria of AMI chosen were those established in a Sweden cooperative study (6). 33 patients did not fulfil the diagnosis of AMI, corresponding to an estimated proportion of 10%. In 4% this was due to more technical reasons such as the use of incorrect code numbers, and in 6% the diagnosis had been made without the criteria being fulfilled.     

急性心肌梗死应用心肌肌钙蛋白T检测的临床分析

目的总结笔者所在医住院部急性心肌梗死（AMI）患者的诊断资料,评价和分析急性心肌梗死应用心肌肌钙蛋白T（cTnT）检测的应用诊断价值。方法收集住院部急性心肌梗死的临床资料（包括临床病史、心电图、心肌酶谱、心脏彩色超声）,对每例的首发症状、起病时间、既往史等进行归类和总结,分析比较cTnT与肌酸肌酶同工酶CK—MB、心电图（EGG）检测结果,进行统计学分析。结果cTnT检测对早期急诊AMI（2—6h）的阳性率不高（74．42％）,在发病时间6h至8d内,具有较高特异性和准确性（其阳性率〉90．0％）,明显高于ECG、CK—MB检测的阳性率,差异具有显著性;cTnT检测对于心内膜微小心肌损伤、心肌毒性物质及机械损伤等原因所致的心脏病患者（9例）不具有明显的特异性。结论cTnT检测用于急性心肌梗死的诊断具有灵敏度高、特异性强、持续时间长、报告结果快速准确等特点,效果明显优于ECG、CK—MB检测,是快速确诊AMI较为理想的生化标志物,与其联合检测可以提高早期AMI的检出率及诊断时间窗。     

Correlation between the serum levels of uric acid and HS-CRP with the occurrence of early systolic failure of left ventricle following acute myocardial infarction

Recent studies show that, Inflammation plays an important role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and in the pathogenesis of acute cardiovascular events. There is a possible association between ventricular dysfunction following acute myocardial infarction and high Sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) and uric acid. In this study we assessed the relationship between HS-CRP and uric acid with LVEF and Killip Class in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In a cross sectional study, 188 patients (63 females and 125 males) with AMI (STEMI) who were admitted in CCU ward in Emam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran/Iran, were entered. Uric acid and HS-CRP were measured within first day of admission. We measured ejection fraction (LVEF) and used Killip classification system. The mean age of patients was 60.4±9.2 years. The mean of uric acid was 5.9±1.6, 6.6±2.1, 7.1±2.1 and 9.4±1.3 in patients with Killip Class I, II, III and IV, respectively (P=0.005). The mean of HS-CRP was 1.9±1.4, 14.2±10.9, 12.2±10.9 and 15.7±6.7 in patients with Killip Class I, II, III and IV, respectively (P=0.005). There was a relationship between HS-CRP and LVEF (Correlation coefficient= -0.788, P<0.001), but there was not between uric acid and LVEF (Correlation coefficient= -0.111, P=0.129), The plasma concentration of C-reactive protein correlated with LVEF and Killip Class in patients with AMI but serum uric acid was just correlated with Killip Class IV. It seems that plasma concentrations of HS-CRP and uric acid are useful for prediction of development of heart failure in AMI patients. More future studies are necessary for final judgment.     

院前疑诊急性冠状动脉综合症患者病因及死因分析

目的：了解院前疑诊急性冠状动脉综合症（ACS）患者病因及死因,以提高医疗防治水平.方法：2004年1月～2005年10月,因疑诊ACS由我院120出车接诊患者,回顾性分析接诊记录及住院病历.结果：院前疑诊ACS患者292例,ACS156例,其它心血管疾病88例,其它疾病48例.前8位病因是急性心肌梗死（AMI,29.5%）、不稳定性心绞痛（UA,24.0%）、高血压（7.2%）、心律失常（6.2%）、主动脉夹层（4.8%）、心力衰竭（4.1%）、气胸（3.8%）,未确诊者（4.1%）.总死亡30例,AMI12例,主动脉夹层9例,未确诊者5例,其它4例.结论：AMI是本地区疑诊ACS患者的首位病因,死亡例数最多;主动脉夹层发病率排第5位,但死亡率最高;应加强社区冠心病、高血压知识宣传与教育.     

Audit on myocardial infarction in a district general hospital: is there room for improvement in diagnostic accuracy?

The proportion of patients with an acute myocardial infarction (MI) whose diagnosis was missed on admission was accessed. The admitting consultants were then tested to see if they could diagnose the patients correctly when they were shown the admission histories and electrocardiograms (ECGs). Twenty-six per cent of patients with a final diagnosis of MI were not correctly diagnosed on admission. Fifty-one per cent of all patients did not receive thrombolytic therapy (TT) mainly because the diagnosis was not made on admission. A smaller proportion of these patients were admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU). The consultants only correctly diagnosed an average of 7.3 of the 20 patients who were mis-diagnosed on admission and would have prescribed TT to an average of 4.3 of these 20 patients. A significant proportion of patients had a diagnosis of MI missed on admission and therefore did not receive TT. Therefore, another aid to diagnosis such as serum creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) measurement should be available as an emergency test.     

ICD-10 adaptations of the Ontario acute myocardial infarction mortality prediction rules performed as well as the original versions

OBJECTIVE: To derive and validate an International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) version of the Ontario Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) mortality prediction rules, used to adjust for case-mix differences in studies of AMI patients using administrative data. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We linked the records of all Ontario patients admitted with AMI (2002-2004) with mortality data. The original ICD-9 codes were mapped to ICD-10-CA (Canada) codes using both a translation produced by coding experts and a manual search of codes; the final codes were determined by consensus. Comorbidity prevalence and mortality rates were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to predict 30-day and 1-year mortality and the C-statistic was used to evaluate the discrimination of the models. RESULTS: We identified 37,271 AMI patients. The most common comorbidities were heart failure and dysrhythmias; 30-day and 1-year mortality rates were 12.3% and 21.8%, respectively; and mortality rates were highest among patients with shock, cancer, and acute renal failure. The C-statistics were 0.77 and 0.80, compared with 0.78 and 0.79 in the ICD-9 version, for 30-day and 1-year mortality, respectively. CONCLUSION: An ICD-10 version of the AMI mortality prediction rules predicted 30-day and 1-year mortality as well as the original ICD-9 version.