Redefining First Medical Contact in Acute Coronary Syndromes

“Evolving, narrower definitions of FMC data element complicate assessments of quality of [myocardial infarction (MI)] care and may obscure true pre-hospital ischemic times and opportunities for performance improvement.”

“Evolving, narrower definitions of FMC data element complicate assessments of quality of MI care and may obscure true pre-hospital ischemic times and opportunities for performance improvement. Moreover, the revised definition of FMC may be impractical to assess in the real world. Until more discrete data are made widely available on the training and capabilities of first responders, it will be difficult for hospitals to operationalize the 2025 ACS guidelines FMC-to-device times.”

“Measuring performance based on the time of first EMS arrival provides a standardized, objective timestamp that can be consistently documented across EMS agencies. The arrival time of EMS with capabilities of ECG interpretation can then be recorded as an ancillary measure.”