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Healthcare providers in Lincoln are using new technology that will save precious minutes in the diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients. Lincoln Fire and Rescue, BryanLGH Medical Center and Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center have implemented a pre-hospital, 12-lead wireless EKG and digital data system to transmit from ambulances to emergency department receiving stations, before patients reach the hospital.
Lincoln Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Rich Furasek stated, "As first responders we will see the benefit of the new technology in that valuable time will be saved for treatment of the patients. This will be a great benefit for the citizens of our community."
Modems are currently in use in eight Lincoln Fire and Rescue ambulances.
"If we can get our patients to the cath lab, and get the clogged arteries to open up, and get the blood flowing before the heart is damaged, we're minimizing the injury," explained Terry Rounsborg, MD, medical director of emergency services at Saint Elizabeth and director of EMS services in Lincoln. "There's only so much time to open those blood vessels before permanent damage sets in."
Emergency department physicians and cardiologists will receive diagnostic quality data while the ambulance is in transit, so treatment decisions can be made quickly. The cardiologist can be ready and waiting, the catheterization lab can be prepared to receive the patient, and ultimately valuable heart muscle can be saved because of the quick response.
"It's going to help heart attack patients tremendously, says Edward Mlinek, MD, medical director of Emergency Services at BryanLGH Medical Center. "It's going to cut several minutes from diagnosis to treatment. For our community to be able to offer this additional level of care to our patients is fantastic. This not only will save lives, but also will help preserve the quality of life for our patients by reducing the amount of heart injury."
The program is made possible by funding received from many donors, including a grant from the Community Health Endowment, BryanLGH Foundation, BryanLGH Heart Institute, Nebraska Heart Institute, Saint Elizabeth Foundation and Emergency Medical Services, Inc. Additionally, the BryanLGH and Saint Elizabeth Foundations will continue to collect monies to support the new data transmission devices and to fund future updates. If you would like to contribute to the fund, contact the Saint Elizabeth Foundation at 402-219-7074 or BryanLGH Foundation at 402-481-8605.
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