Patient Initiated Emergency Response System (PIERS) for
Early Dectection of Heart Attack
A National Library of Medicine Project
by The Johns Hopkins University
The overall objective of the PIERS system is the use of technology to lower the
barrier between the acute coronary syndromes (ACS) patient and his entry into the medical
system, by reducing delays in the three stages where delay can occur. These stages are as
follows: Stage I: Patient and bystander recognition of the symptoms and signs of ACS Stage
II: Pre-hospital action by emergency medical services providers Stage III: Actions by
health care providers at the hospital to identify and treat patients with ACS
Specific objectives of the system are to: Develop a simple, inexpensive system for
providing the earliest possible detection and treatment of ACS including AMI in high-risk
groups and in the general population Prototype a system focused on reducing Stage I delays
in high-risk groups and in the general population Provide system data outputs to other
hospital systems to improve timeliness and efficacy of Stage II and Stage III processes.
For more information:
The Problem
System Concept
Modes of Operation
Medical Requirements
System Description
Project Plan
Related Links
National Library of Medicine
Johns Hopkins Medicine
The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Affiliates
The Johns Hopkins
Cardiomyopathy And Heart Transplant Service
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Heart Information Network