Effect of Real-Time Physician Oversight of Prehospital STEMI Diagnosis on ECG-Inappropriate and False Positive Catheterization Laboratory Activation

BACKGROUND: ST-elevation myocardial infarction diagnosis at first medical contact (FMC) and prehospital cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) activation are associated with reduced total ischemic time and therefore have become the dominant ST-elevation myocardial infarction referral method in primary percutaneous coronary intervention systems. We sought to determine whether physician oversight was associated with improved diagnostic performance in a prehospital CCL activation system and what effect the additional interpretation has on treatment delay. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2015, all patients in 2 greater Montreal catchment areas with a chief symptom of chest paint or dyspnea had an in-the-field electrocardiogram (ECG). A machine diagnosis of “acute myocardial infarction” resulted either in automatic CCL (automated cohort without oversight) or transmission of the ECG to the receiving centre emergency physician for reinterpretation before CCL activation. System performance was assessed in terms of the proportion of false positive and inappropriate activations (IA), as well as the proportion of patients with FMC-to-device times ≤ 90 minutes. RESULTS: Four hundred twenty-eight (428) activations were analyzed (311 automated; 117 with physician oversight). Physician oversight tended to decrease IAs (7% vs 3%; P = 0.062), but was also associated with a smaller proportion of patients achieving target FMC-to-device (76% vs 60%; P < 0.001). There was no significant effect on the proportion of false positive activation. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time physician oversight might be associated with fewer IAs, but also appears to have a deleterious effect on FMC-to-device performance. Identifying predictors of IA could improve overall performance by selecting ECGs that merit physician oversight and streamlining others. Larger clinical studies are warranted.