ECG recording in emergency home visits

During the first half of 1974, 756 emergency home calls have been made by 6 doctors in the City of Oslo. A portable ECG instrument was available at all visits. The visits were unselected as regards complaints. ECG was recorded in 7% of all patients and in 19% of all patients over 60 years of age. The main indication for recording an ECG was chest pain (nearly 2/3 of all recordings). In only a small number of cases did the recording give a definite result as regards diagnosis of management of the case. However, a slight additional benefit was obtained with a majority of the ECG recordings, including what we defined as a phychotherapeutic benefit. The results of this study indicate that the value of a portable electrocardiograph is very limited for emergency home calls in a city.