Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40930592›Full record

ArticleHeart (British Cardiac Society)2026

Prehospital 12-lead ECG and outcomes in acute coronary syndrome.

Timothy John Driscoll, Sarah Black, Glenn Davies, Chris P Gale, Lucia Gavalova, Mary Halter, Chelsey Hughes, Scott Munro, Nigel Rees, Andy Rosser and 4 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Heart (British Cardiac Society), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Timothy John DriscollSwansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK t.j.driscoll@swansea.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0001-9879-2509
Sarah BlackSouth Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK.
Glenn DaviesPatient and Public Representative, London, UK.
Chris P GaleDivision of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Lucia GavalovaKingston University, London, UK.
Mary HalterKingston University, London, UK.
Chelsey HughesWelsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Cwmbran, UK.
Scott MunroSouth East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Crawley, UK.
Nigel ReesWelsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Cwmbran, UK.
Andy RosserWest Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust, Brierley Hill, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5477-4269
Helen SnooksSwansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK.
Alan WatkinsSwansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK.
Clive WestonGlangwili General Hospital, Carmarthen, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8995-8199
Tom QuinnKingston University, London, UK.

Funding

Shaping The Preimmune B Cell RepertoireZ01AG000164 · NIA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING · PI LONGO, DAN L. · 2002 to 2008
$462k
RESEARCH TRAINING IN GERIATRIC SLEEP DISORDERS MEDICINET32AG000164 · NIA · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI DEMENT, WILLIAM C · 1988 to 1998
–
British Heart Foundation PG/18/13/33558Intramural NIH HHS Z01 AG000164NIA NIH HHS T32 AG000164
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

IMPORTANCE/

backgroundThe 12-lead ECG is recommended in clinical guidelines for prehospital assessment of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) presenting to Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

objectivesTo determine prehospital ECG (PHECG) utilisation since UK national rollout of primary percutaneous coronary intervention, and whether this is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with ACS.

designPopulation-based, linked cohort study using Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project data from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2017, related to patients with ACS conveyed by the EMS to hospital in England and Wales. EXPOSURE: PHECG administration. OUTCOMES: Proportion of patients where PHECG was recorded, 30-day and 1 year all-cause mortality, use of reperfusion.

resultsOf 330 713 eligible patients transferred by EMS, 263 420 patients (79.7%) had PHECG recorded, steadily increasing from 74.2% in 2010 to 85.0% in 2017. Patients who received PHECG were generally younger than those who did not (median age: 70 years vs 75 years), less likely to be female (32.8% vs 41.9%) or to have comorbidities such as diabetes (20.8% vs 24.7%) or peripheral vascular disease (4.1% vs 4.8%). Patients who received PHECG had lower mortality at 30 days (7.1% vs 10.9%), with adjusted OR 0.77 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.80), and at 1 year (14.2% vs 23.2%), with adjusted OR 0.69 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.71). Adjustment accommodated demographic characteristics, comorbidities and medical history. Reperfusion was more frequent in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) receiving PHECG (84.5% vs 54.7%) with adjusted OR 4.37 (95% CI 4.20 to 4.54), with similar adjustment.

conclusionsUse of PHECG by EMS for patients with ACS is associated with lower short-term mortality and higher odds of receiving reperfusion for STEMI patients. Administration of PHECG increased steadily over time, but at the end of the study, still 15% of eligible patients did not receive a PHECG.

Indexed as

Acute Coronary SyndromeElectrocardiographyEmergency Medical ServicesAgedAged, 80 and overEnglandFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPercutaneous Coronary InterventionTime FactorsWalesAcute Coronary SyndromeElectronic Health Records

Identifiers

PMID40930592
PMCPMC13479262

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.