thesis
Prehospital triage to improve diagnostic and therapeutic decisions in patients with suspected myocardial infarction
- Publication date
- 26 October 1994
- Publisher
- The organisation of cardiac assistance for the general practitioner in the municipality
of Rotterdam is well organised, due to an intensive co-operation between the
general practitioners, the cardiologists, the Central Doktors Laboratorium (STA.R.)
and the ambulance department of the Municipal Heallh Service.
The first initiative towards a more intensive cooperation
between cardiologists and general practitioners originated by the inititation of the
Imminent Myocardial Infarction Rotterdam (IMIR) study, which started in 1972.'·3 The
study was initiated and executed by the departments of Cardiology and General
Practice of the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. In that study, the significance of
prodromal symptoms, identified by means of history taking and physical
examination, were studied prospectively in patients who visited their general
practitioner wilh symptoms suggestive of myocardial infarction. Detailed history and
physical findings were recorded on a standardized questionnaire by the general
practitioner. Subsequently, the patient was referred to a special diagnostic centre
(the IMIR centre, which was located at the department of Cardiology of the
Thoraxcentre of the University Hospital of Rotter