Methodology ILCOR performed 18 systematic reviews (14 based on meta-analyses) on more than 110 relevant studies that span (Circulation. 2015;132[suppl 2]:S483-S500. Prehospital acquisition of 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) has been recommended by the AHA Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care since 2000. The 2015 ILCOR systematic review examined whether acquisition of a prehospital ECG with transmission of the ECG to the hospital, notification of the hospital of the need for

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... rinolysis, or activation of the catheterization laboratory changes any major outcome. Evidence Summary Obtaining an ECG early in the assessment of patients with possible ACS ensures that dynamic ECG changes suggestive of cardiac ischemia and ACS will be identified, even if they normalize before initial treatment. 11 An early ECG may also enable ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to be recognized earlier. Acquiring a prehospital ECG and determining the presence of STEMI effectively makes the prehospital provider the first medical contact. The prehospital ECG can reliably enable identification of STEMI before arrival at the hospital, 12 but if notification of the receiving facility does not occur, any benefit to prehospital STEMI recognition is lost. Prehospital ECG acquisition coupled with hospital notification if STEMI is identified consistently reduces the time to reperfusion in-hospital (first medical contact-to-balloon time, first medical contact-to-needle time, door-to-balloon time, door-to-needle time). 13 To reduce time to STEMI reperfusion in-hospital, rapid transport and early treatment must occur in parallel with hospital preparation for the arriving patient. Prehospital ECGs reduce the time to reperfusion with fibrinolytic therapy and also reduce the time to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and facilitate triage of STEMI patients to specific hospitals. 4 Prehospital activation of the catheterization laboratory (as opposed to delaying cardiac catheterization laboratory activation until the patient arrives at the hospital) is independently associated with improved times to PPCI and reduced mortality. 4 Prehospital ECG acquisition and hospital notification reduce mortality by 32% when PPCI is the reperfusion strategy (benefit is accentuated when prehospital activation occurs) and by 24% when ED fibrinolysis is the reperfusion strategy. 4 Recommendations-Updated Prehospital 12-lead ECG should be acquired early for patients with possible ACS (Class I, LOE B-NR). Prehospital notification of the receiving hospital (if fibrinolysis is the likely reperfusion strategy) and/or prehospital activation of the catheterization laboratory should occur for all patients with a recognized STEMI on prehospital ECG (Class I, LOE B-NR). Computer-Assisted ECG STEMI Interpretation ACS 559 The identification of STEMI in patients with suspected STEMI is often made on clinical grounds in combination with ECG findings as interpreted by a physician. The 2015 ILCOR systematic review addressed whether computer-assisted ECG interpretation improves identification of STEMI while minimizing unnecessary intervention. Evidence Summary Studies examined both underdiagnosis (false-negative results) and overdiagnosis (false-positive results) 14,15 or overdiagnosis alone 16-20 by computer ECG interpretation. There was wide variation in the proportion of false-positive results (0% to 42%) and of false-negative results (22% to 42%). These variations in accuracy seemed to occur because different ECG machines use different algorithms and because the computer interpretations are compared variously with interpretation by cardiologists, emergency physicians, and discharge diagnosis of STEMI. Moreover, the sensitivity and specificity of the test will differ depending on the prevalence of STEMI. Both studies that examined false-negative results suggest that computer interpretation of ECG tracing produces unacceptably high rates of false-negative results in the identification of STEMI. A few studies show that computer interpretation can produce an unacceptably high rate of false-positive diagnoses. Interpretation by trained personnel in conjunction with computer interpretation may lower the rate of false results obtained when using computer interpretation alone. Recommendations-New Because of high false-negative rates, we recommend that computer-assisted ECG interpretation not be used as a sole means to diagnose STEMI (Class III: Harm, LOE B-NR).