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Cardiac (non-arrest)

Only 60% of paramedic-suspected STEMI confirmed

Final Diagnoses and Outcomes After Paramedic-Suspected ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Annals of Emergency Medicine · 2026-10 · Added 9 October 2026

A retrospective Victorian statewide ambulance registry cohort (2020–25) followed up paramedic-suspected STEMI presentations and found STEMI confirmed in only 60% of those with a recorded discharge diagnosis, with 30-day mortality of 6.5%.

Study type

Registry

Design

Retrospective statewide registry cohort

Participants

7,205 suspected STEMI visits with a recorded discharge diagnosis (of 8,077)

Main finding

STEMI confirmed in 4,330/7,205 (60.1%); non-ST-elevation ACS or other coronary syndromes 11.4%; other cardiac 10.5%; noncardiac 8.5%; coronary angiography 67.1%, PCI 44.4%; 30-day mortality 6.5% and 17.5% over median 2.8 years follow-up

Caveat

Retrospective registry design relying on coded discharge diagnoses, and 10.8% of visits had no recorded diagnosis at all

Bottom line

Context only

Learning goal

Strengthen my judgement in recognising STEMI mimics when prehospital ECG findings do not confirm the working diagnosis.

More

• Topic: Cardiac (non-arrest)
• Daily scan: 9 October 2026
• Podcast: Paramedic Papers Daily, 9 October 2026

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