Key result
A prehospital telecardiology service for assessing chest pain in primary care demonstrated a sensitivity of 97.4%, a specificity of 89.5%, and an overall diagnostic accuracy of 86.9%.
Why the study?
Does a telecardiology service improve the diagnostic accuracy and management of chest pain in primary care?
Observational (n=952)
Does a telecardiology service improve the diagnostic accuracy and management of chest pain in primary care?
Telecardiology with 12-lead ECG transmission is a highly sensitive and specific tool that allows general practitioners to safely manage the majority of chest pain cases in primary care.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports telecardiology triage in primary care; leaves open randomized confirmation of safety and outcomes.
Two hundred general practitioners were equipped with a portable electrocardiograph which could transmit a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) via a telephone line. A cardiologist was available 24 h a day for an interactive teleconsultation. In a 13-month period there were 5073 calls to the telecardiology service and 952 subjects with chest pain were identified. The telecardiology service allowed the general practitioners to manage 700 cases (74%) themselves; further diagnostic tests were requested for 162 patients (17%) and 83 patients (9%) were sent to the hospital emergency department. In the last group a cardiological diagnosis was confirmed in 60 patients and refuted in 23. Seven patients in whom the telecardiology service failed to detect a cardiac problem were hospitalized in the subsequent 48 h. The telecardiology service showed a sensitivity of 97.4%, a specificity of 89.5% and a diagnostic accuracy of 86.9% for chest pain. Telemedicine could be a useful tool in the diagnosis of chest pain in primary care.
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Scalvini et al. (2002) conducted an observational in Chest pain (n=952). Telecardiology service (portable ECG transmission and interactive teleconsultation) was evaluated on Diagnostic accuracy for chest pain (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy). A prehospital telecardiology service for assessing chest pain in primary care demonstrated a sensitivity of 97.4%, a specificity of 89.5%, and an overall diagnostic accuracy of 86.9%.
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