Fig 1.

PACS-dependent 12-lead ECG information system. This 12-lead ECG information system is used in PCAS to share the same abilities of file archiving, manipulation, and communication with DICOM-based images. This developed system is used to provide clinicians with immediate electronic medical procedures and ubiquitous 12-lead ECG and image diagnoses for patients with heart diseases. An ECG console as shown in ECG module is set up to acquire ECG files generating from clinically used ECG instruments, such as SCP-ECG and XML-ECG, to transform the data into DICOM-ECG, and then to transmit them to image server in PACS for storage. Patients’ information and ECG examination schedules can be retrieved and monitored via the connection between modality work-list server of PACS and HIS. On-site clinicians can verify patients’ medical information in ECG console. On-site cardiologists can interpret patients’ 12-lead ECG and image reports from HIS directly. Ubiquitous 12-lead ECG and image diagnoses are also realized by enabling the connection between PACS and mobile database installed in the mobile phones of the off-site cardiologists.