JACC-Published Research Study Demonstrates Up to 31% Faster STEMI Treatment Times in Rural Hospital Setting with Pulsara

JACC-Published Research Study Demonstrates Up to 31% Faster STEMI Treatment Times in Rural Hospital Setting with Pulsara

Published research shows how using Pulsara, alongside standardized field activation and a focus on stakeholder relationships, improves STEMI care and outcomes.

BOZEMAN, MT, UNITED STATES, December 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Pulsara, the leading mobile telehealth, communication, and logistics platform that unites healthcare teams and technologies across organizations, announced the publication of a new research study in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) showcasing substantial improvements in STEMI treatment times at CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital in Durango, Colorado. The multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative—powered in part by the Pulsara platform—demonstrated that even rural hospitals facing long transport distances and limited resources can meaningfully reduce delays in urgent cardiac care.

Before the initiative, 60% of Mercy Hospital’s first medical contact–to-device (FMC-to-device) times exceeded the guideline-recommended 90-minute threshold, averaging 111 minutes. By launching a coordinated improvement effort across EMS and hospital teams and implementing Pulsara for real-time communication and STEMI activation, the hospital achieved a significant acceleration in treatment timelines. The study found that “rural hospitals can improve STEMI care delivery by focusing on system-wide coordination and overcoming logistical constraints, thereby reducing mortality and improving recovery for patients in underserved areas.”

As a rural hospital surrounded by mountainous terrain, CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital confronted common barriers: long transport times, inconsistent weather conditions, limited specialty resources, and previously no established prehospital STEMI activation pathway. Leadership recognized that redesigning communication across EMS and hospital teams was essential to improving guideline-directed care.

According to the study, Pulsara played a key role in enabling early STEMI recognition and immediate team activation. With Pulsara in place for secure, real-time communication, CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital and five regional EMS agencies introduced targeted training, outreach, simulations, and standardized field STEMI activation protocols, enabling early care team assembly. EMS teams transmitted ECGs and patient data directly through Pulsara, allowing ED physicians and interventional cardiologists to review cases immediately and activate the cath lab before patient arrival.

Since the initiative launched in February 2025, 95% of STEMI patients achieved FMC-to-device times of 90 minutes or less (up from 50–66.7% in 2024). Median FMC-to-device times also dropped to 60–78 minutes (down from 87–95 minutes in 2024). These improvements represent up to a 31% reduction in FMC-to-treatment times.

“This quality improvement project not only improved treatment times for STEMI patients but also bridged longstanding gaps in collaboration with regional EMS services and referral hospitals, helping the organization meet the requirements for Chest Pain Center Accreditation," concluded principal author of the study, Dr. Shelley Langenhorst, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital. "The intentional alignment of diverse stakeholders overcame historical barriers and delivered measurable, sustainable benefits for the unique community we serve.”

For more information and to read the full published research, view the study here.

About Pulsara

Pulsara is the communication and logistics platform that connects first responders, EMS, hospitals, emergency managers, and public health teams on a single network. From routine emergencies to large-scale incidents, Pulsara unites care teams in a shared patient channel, enabling fast, secure communication and coordination. By streamlining updates and decision-making, Pulsara helps teams improve treatment times by an average of 22% to 68%, leading to better patient outcomes. For more information, visit www.pulsara.com.

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