As of today, November 1st, the Medical Emergency Ambulances of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) will be equipped with new vital signs monitors, which allow ECGs and defibrillation to be performed.
Involving an investment of over €600,000, this means, with this equipment, INEM's Pre-Hospital Emergency Technicians (TEPH) are now able to perform Chest Pain Protocol, allowing earlier identification of situations, and meaning appropriate therapeutic measures can be performed.
The availability of these monitors in the Institute's 56 ambulances will translate into an improvement in the provision of healthcare to those who need them, namely to patients with signs and symptoms of cardiac pathology. It should be noted that, annually, emergency resources are sent to more than 17,000 cases of chest pain.
The new monitors perform 12-lead ECG, along with other essential features such as automatic external defibrillation (AED). Through the application of the Chest Pain Protocol, the ambulance teams in the field will be able perform necessary exams and send the results to the hospital doctors, allowing a fully informed referral of patients.
