Ambulance ECGs save lives, study finds

People are more likely to survive a heart attack if they have an electrocardiogram (ECG) in the ambulance on the way to hospital, research by the University of Leeds has shown. The research, carried out with colleagues at the University of Surrey, showed that the number of patients who died within 30 days of hospital admission was significantly lower when an ECG had been carried out by ambulance crews. An ECG is a simple test which records the rhythm and electrical activity of the heart. Patients who did not have an ECG in the ambulance were much less likely to receive treatments to reopen a blocked coronary artery. The use of this treatment is proven to reduce heart damage and improve the survival of patients. Dr Chris Gale, Consultant Cardiologist and Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, who co-authored the research, said: “The wider use of this simple, cheap and easy-to-perform test in patients suspected of having a heart attack, before they reach hospital, has the potential to save many lives and prevent premature cardiovascular death. “If performed by ambulance staff before reaching hospital, the ECG enables patients who are having a heart attack to receive life saving treatments much earlier.