title: Prehospital thrombolysis perfomed by a ship's nurse with on-line physician consultation.
abstract: Prehospital thrombolysis for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been shown to improve recovery from myocardial function. We describe prehospital thrombolytic treatment in two patients suffering from STEMI complicated by ventricular fibrillation (VF) on a passenger ship. The importance of a functioning Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system providing guidance for paramedical personnel is discussed briefly. Both our patients survived and returned back to normal life. It is concluded that EMS physician guided prehospital thrombolytic treatment may offer an important therapeutic option for nurses or paramedics in locations out of reach of ordinary EMS services.
authors.affiliation: Arcada Polytechnic, Toukolanite 1, 00550 Helsinki, Finland. olli.vaisanen@arcada.fi
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Väisänen
authors.forename: Markku
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mäkijärvi
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Silfvast
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods*; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D017984:Enoxaparin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009862:Online Systems; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods; D012767:Ships; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing*; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D017984:Enoxaparin; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C087896:reteplase; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator