Pre-hospital coronary care service

Area of Science:

• Emergency medicine
• Cardiology
• Public health services

Background:

• The Dublin cardiac ambulance service was established to provide specialized emergency care for cardiac events.
• The service utilizes two dedicated ambulances and collaborates with five metropolitan hospitals offering coronary care beds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and outcomes of the Dublin cardiac ambulance service.
• To assess the incidence of primary ventricular fibrillation and treatment success rates.
• To determine the operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the service.

Main Methods:

• The study retrospectively analyzed data from 1,973 patient transports over three years.
• Ambulances were staffed by trained ambulance personnel, not medical teams.
• Data collected included cardiac arrest events, treatments administered, patient outcomes, and hospital interventions.

Main Results:

• Primary ventricular fibrillation was encountered in 20 patients, with 17 successfully treated.
• No deaths occurred within the ambulance during transport.
• Over 98% of patients were transferred to hospital uneventfully, requiring on-site medical team intervention in only 30 instances.

Conclusions:

• The Dublin cardiac ambulance service demonstrates high efficacy in managing cardiac emergencies, particularly ventricular fibrillation.
• The service is cost-effective, with low call-out costs for standard ambulance services.
• Trained ambulance personnel can effectively manage critical cardiac events, reducing the need for immediate hospital medical team involvement.