Through the use of wireless technology, area EMT services, including Morton, are decreasing the amount of time it takes for potential heart-attack patients to make it from the ambulance to the catheter lab.
It is one of the benefits, Morton fire chief Joe Kelley said, of calling 911 when a Morton resident starts to feel chest pain.
Village board trustee Ginger Hermann noted a recent emergency responded to by Morton paramedics in which a patient made it from the ambulance to treatment in 13 minutes. The national standard is about 90 minutes, Kelley said.
Through the use of Morton EMT’s LifePack 12, a heart monitor placed in each ambulance, paramedics are able to gather a reliable diagnosis from a patient’s EKG — electrocardiography — and transmit it to the hospital prior to arrival.
“(Hospital staff) are able to see the patient is actually having a heart attack,” Kelley said.
“Time is tissue,” he added. “(When patients) call 911, we are able to significantly impact that time.
“People are preparing to treat you before you arrive at the hospital.”
Morton paramedics have been using the LifePack 12 heart monitor for about five years, Kelley said. But, more recently, upgrades to the system and advances in wireless technology have improved the efficiency of the system. A cell phone is connected to the LifePack 12 to communicate with hospital staff.
Kelley said, the next step is to transmit the information to a cardiologist via blackberry, allowing the doctor and catheter team to prepare in advance. That technology is currently in development.
Prior to these advances, patients were taken straight to the emergency room, where another EKG is performed. A diagnosis would be made in the ER and the patient would then be transferred to the catheter lab.
“With this, we are able to skip over the emergency department,” Kelley said. “It is only buying time.”
In some cases, Kelley added, a diagnosis is gathered upon arrival at the patient’s location. The hospital is able to receive the information even before the ambulance begins transporting the patient.
“It’s not unusual for a patient to come out of the house having been pre-treated,” Kelley said.
From Morton to Peoria, the typical transport time is about 10 minutes, Kelley said. During that time, patients are administered nitroglycerine and oxygen to open vessels and allow a stronger blood flow.
During a heart attack, every minute that passes means potential heart tissue damage, Kelley said. Now that paramedics have the ability to provide crucial information to the hospital prior to arrival, a patient is able to receive treatment faster than ever before.
“It is speeding up the process of getting you treatment,” Kelley said. “That all benefits the patient, which is what we’re trying to do.”
