Many unnecessary emergency trips for myocardial infarction: ‘Ambulance is traumatic’

If the new analysis of heart problems is allowed, about half of patients can now stay at home. “They’re not having an acute heart attack. You can easily rule out a heart attack at home.”

This can be determined with a troponin measurement. “Troponin is a protein that is released in the heart in the event of oxygen damage,” says Rudolph Tolsma, nurse specialist ambulance IJsselland. “In the past this could only be determined in the hospital, but today there are portable devices on the market. For example, such a measurement can be done at people’s homes and it can be determined whether someone needs to go by ambulance.”

Cost saving

If the patient can now stay at home, it is not only pleasant for him – the ambulance journey can be traumatic – but it also saves a lot of money. “If implemented nationally, it could easily save $36 million,” cardiologist Camaro says. “And health care costs continue to rise, so we have to try to reduce them. So we are looking for a way to distribute ambulances more efficiently.”

Source: RTL

follow:
\