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New EKG Transmitters Speeds Lifesaving Treatment for Bethesda North Heart Attack Patients
June 1, 2008
The doors of the Emergency Department burst open, IV lines swinging wildly as paramedics rush in with a patient in the throes of a full-blown heart attack. The cardiac cath lab has been alerted, and a cardiologist and his team stand gowned and ready for action.
How is this possible? This emergency squad was equipped with a special monitor that has the capability of EKG (electrocardiogram) transmission, courtesy of a $283,000 grant from the Bethesda Foundation, as part of a national study—the TIME Multicenter Study.
“The Bethesda Foundation enabled us to purchase devices for six squads who typically bring in the most patients with cardiac disease,” says Ginger LaMar, R.N., supervisor in the Cardiovascular Research Division of TriHealth’s Hatton Institute.
A Secret Weapon
An EKG helps reveal a number of heart problems, including a heart attack. By enabling paramedics who are still in the field to transmit EKG data to emergency physicians, cardiologists and other health care professionals, hospital personnel can better prepare for the arrival of the patient.
Reducing the time it takes to open blocked arteries via balloon catheterization—known as door-to-balloon time—has proven critical in minimizing damage to heart muscle and increasing the patient’s chance of survival.
“We were able to decrease our door-to-balloon time to 74 minutes,” LaMar says. “That’s below the national standard of 90 minutes.” Bethesda North Hospital was one of only five hospitals nationally (and the only hospital in Ohio) to participate in the study conducted by Duke University and Welch-Allyn.
All a Matter of TIME
“The TIME study drove a change in the process of how we treat acute myocardial infarction [heart attack] patients,” LaMar says. “It allowed us to streamline the process of responding to these patients, including having the emergency physician call in the interventionalist and cath lab team.”
“This was a great study,” says Jim Limerick, EMT-P, a Liberty Township paramedic whose squad was outfitted with an EKG transmitter. “Right now, we’re looking at purchasing our own transmitters for all of our emergency vehicles. We’re also continuing to enhance our paramedics’ education in reading 12-lead EKGs.”
“Clearly, we have found that the door-to-balloon is extremely important in determining the patient’s outcome,” says Ed Loughery, M.D., the study’s principal investigator. “This study places an emphasis on initiating hospital care, starting in the patient’s home.”
As a result of the study, Bethesda North is researching opportunities to expand the program to more squads so that even more communities throughout the Cincinnati area potentially may benefit, LaMar says.
On the front lines of saving heart attack victims’ lives, Limerick is enthusiastic about the project’s success. “Anything that helps speed up a patient getting definitive care is a huge benefit."
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