A low-cost decision support network for electrocardiograph transmission from oil rigs in the North Sea

A telemedicine service consisting of electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation and advice on the management of chest pain offshore was offered to oil rig installations in the North Sea. A total of 14 subscribing oil rigs were supplied with thrombolytic drugs and rig paramedics were trained in their delivery. Electrocardiographs could be recorded using a standard ECG machine and then digitized using a scanner for transmission as an email attachment. Several oil companies invested in ECG equipment which allowed direct recording of the patient's ECG in electronic form for transmission by email. Uptake of the telemedicine service was very rapid. The majority of rig medics found the system very easy to use. During a 36-month study period from August 2004, 47 cases of chest pain were dealt with by telemedicine. Of these 47 cases, only six patients (13%) were airlifted to shore. The 41 remaining ECGs did not to have acute changes requiring immediate evacuation. The use of email for ECG transmission proved to be highly effective in managing chest pain offshore.