Glob J Emerg Med | Volume 1, Issue 2 | Research Article | Open Access
Ramesh A1, Vanden Hoek TL2, LaBresh K3, Campbell T2, Murthy K1, Shetty N1, Begeman RM2, Edison M2, Williams P3, Prabhakar BS2, Erickson TB4*
1Department of Emergency Medicine, M S Ramaiah Medical College, India
2UIC Department of Emergency Medicine, Center for Global Health, USA
3Social Policy, Health and Economics Research Unit, RTI International, USA
4Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, USA
*Correspondance to: Erickson TB
Fulltext PDFIndia has more cardiovascular disease (CVD) than any other country claiming nearly 5 million lives annually. It is projected that by 2020, nearly 60% of patients with CVD world-wide will be of Indian descent as Indians have a higher genetic predisposition for and earlier risk of CVDs than other ethnicities. Specifically, ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) are major contributors to disability and death in India with over half of patients dying in pre-hospital settings prior to reaching hospitals. The high rates of acute STEMI and SCA through-out India is an expanding public health problem that is currently being addressed by the Heart Rescue India (HRI) program. An innovative pre - hospital system using nurse-paramedic first responders on motorcycles with complementary ambulance unit back-up and transport, when combined with community risk screening and education, provides rapid STEMI/SCA identification and treatment. Our goals are to increase the capacity of the paramedic response system, develop standard protocols for acute CVD management and ultimately improve overall patient survival. This pre-hospital response system may foster a scalable model that can be integrated into the current healthcare system and large urban centers throughout India.
Ramesh A, Vanden Hoek TL, LaBresh K, Campbell T, Murthy K, Shetty N, et al. Development of an Emergency Nurse-Paramedic Motorcycle Response System for Acute STEMI and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Care in India. Glob J Emerg Med. 2018; 1(2): 1008.