Abstract
AHA/ACC guidelines recommend prehospital 12-lead electrocardiogram(ECG) transmission to a percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) hospital as beneficial for patients with acute coronary syndrome. We created a wireless 12-lead ECG transmission system called“Fujiyama”involving a handheld 12-lead ECG recording device transmitting the ECG to a smartphone through Bluetooth wireless technology, converting the ECG to MFER/JPEG, and sending it to a designated email.
Methods: We recorded and transmitted 12-lead ECGs from a moving vehicle and investigated transmission accuracy by comparing recorded ECGs and ECGs received by email. Furthermore, we recorded and sent ECGs to the attending cardiologist from several facilities, including a primary care center emergency room, a clinic, and homes of both home hemodialysis patients and visiting nurse care patients.
Results: Recording ECG from a moving vehicle did not affect interpretation of rhythms and ST changes. The transmission time of a 250-350KB size file was 7-95 s(median 23 s), short enough for emergency settings. Among the 24 ECGs only 1 had significant noise contamination. Since the ECG recording device and the smartphone are connected to a wireless network, the surroundings do not affect ECG recordings. Its small-size and light weight tailor it for various settings, including emergency care.
