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. 2006 Jan;24(1):1-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2005.05.016.

Door-to-ECG time in patients with chest pain presenting to the ED

Deborah B Diercks  1 , J Douglas Kirk, Christopher J Lindsell, Charles V Pollack Jr, James W Hoekstra, W Brian Gibler, Judd E Hollander
Affiliations

Door-to-ECG time in patients with chest pain presenting to the ED

Deborah B Diercks et al. Am J Emerg Med. 2006 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: To describe time to electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition, identify factors associated with timely acquisition, and evaluate the influence of time to ECG on adverse clinical outcomes.

Methods: We measured the door-to-ECG time for emergency department patients enrolled in prospective chest pain registry. Clinical outcomes were defined as occurrence of myocardial infarction or death within 30 days of the visit.

Results: Among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), 34% and 40.9% of patients with non-ST-elevation ACS and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), respectively, had an ECG performed within 10 minutes of arrival. A delay in ECG acquisition was only associated with an increase risk of clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI at 30 days (odds ratio, 3.95; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-14.72; P = .04).

Conclusion: Approximately one third of patients with ACS received an ECG within 10 minutes. A prolonged door-to-ECG time was associated with an increased risk of clinical outcomes only in patients with STEMI.

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