An acute myocardial infarction management model using advanced Telemedicine protocols

Abstract

Introduction: Telemedicine offers a powerful and cost-effective tool that uses scales in order to reduce the differences in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction between the developed and developing countries. Methods: A strategy was used, in which health centres in remote areas were strategically connected to clinics with 24/7 catheter laboratories. Experts in Bogota provided the electrocardiographic diagnosis and tele-consultation using the Latin America Telemedicine Infarct Network (LATIN), activating the sending of ambulances, and the implementation of the LATIN protocols. Results: A total of 113 centres in Colombia were connected to a network covering a large segment of the population. Of the 110,823 patients examined, 1014 (1%) were diagnosed with an acute ST-myocardial infarction. A total of 472 (46%) of these patients were reperfused, with the majority (324, 68.6%) by means of percutaneous coronary intervention. The main reasons for non-treatment included refusal of medical insurance, lack of intensive care units, and chest pain > 12 hours. The time to diagnosis was 5.5 minutes with an accuracy of 98%. Conclusions: LATIN demonstrates the possibility of creating a strategy for treating acute myocardial infarction in a population base and guided by Telemedicine. This widens the access to emergency treatment in developing countries, where this acquires significant implications in public health, such as an overall approach to the urgent treatment of this condition.