Helicopter scene response for a STEMI patient transported directly to the cardiac catheterization laboratory

At 2:10 pm, a 40-year-old Caucasian woman with no known medical history called 911 complaining of substernal, crushing chest pain that had started 2 to 3 hours before she called emergency medical services (EMS). EMS arrived at 2:24 pm and obtained a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnostic of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) at 2:36 pm. University Air Care was requested by local EMS at 2:42 pm to respond directly to the cardiac scene in rural Ohio for rapid transport to a facility capable of performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The closest PCI-capable facility was approximately 35 minutes away by ground or 13 minutes by air. The closest non-PCI hospital was approximately 20 minutes away by ground (Fig. 1).