David E. Haines, MD. JAMA. 2010;304(19):2178-2179. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1674
Sudden cardiac arrest remains a significant public health problem. Successful resuscitation from tachyarrhythmic cardiac arrest increases if time to defibrillation is reduced.1-2 Therefore, early detection of life-threatening arrhythmias followed by rapid initiation of effective therapy has been the goal. Patients requiring hospitalization benefit from being admitted to a facility where special resuscitation equipment and trained personnel are in close proximity around the clock.
The benefits of rapid resuscitation led to the proliferation of coronary care units in the 1960s and 1970s, even though the cost-effectiveness of these units was difficult to demonstrate.3 A natural assumption promoted by thought leaders was that institution of electrocardiographic (ECG) telemetry monitoring on hospital wards could improve outcomes by expanding early arrhythmia detection and treatment to locations beyond intensive care units. This compelling goal fueled the billion-dollar medical telemetry industry, despite limited well-designed scientific studies proving its value. In fact, despite . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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