Physio-Control's New Technology Offers Quick Response when a Heart Attack is Suspected
CARMEL -- Clarian North Medical Center and the Carmel and Fishers Fire Departments announced today they have implemented the LIFENET STEMI Management Solution from Physio-Control.
The first web-based system of its kind, this new technology has the goal of reducing door-to-balloon (D2B) times for patients on Indianapolis' north side who experience a dangerous form of heart attack known as STEMI (ST elevation myocardial infarction). STEMI poses a serious threat to the heart muscle, and the quicker patients receive treatment the more likely they are to have a positive outcome.
"It is a race against the clock," Sheldon Friedman, MD, FACC, a physician with Clarian North Cardiovascular, said of patients with chest pain. "The LIFENET STEMI Management Solution will help us shave minutes off the door-to-balloon time, and we are more likely to have better outcomes since arteries are opened more quickly and more heart muscle is saved."
The LIFENET STEMI Management System makes it easy for EMS personnel to transmit patient 12-lead ECG data to the hospital before delivering a patient with a suspected heart attack. Data is transmitted from the LIFEPAK 12 defibrillator/monitor to the hospital via the Internet, giving hospital staff time to set up their own STEMI alert systems so personnel in the emergency department, cardiac catheterization lab and other areas can be activated before the patient arrives.
With no hardware required and easy implementation, the LIFENET STEMI system offers many advantages to EMS and hospital personnel including avoiding false positives and the ease with which data can be shared among the different medical teams including transmitting the data directly to the hospital and interventional cardiologist in real time.
The American Heart Association estimates that nearly 400,000 people in the U.S. experience STEMI every year. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported that mortality for acute cardiac events has been shown to increase 40 percent if D2B time stretches from 90 minutes to 120 minutes.
"There is no doubt that this program will be a life-saver," said Anthony Roberts, Director of Cardiovascular and Intensive Care Services. "With its ease of use and accessibility, patients, staff and EMS agencies will all benefit from the real-time data provided in an instance when seconds count."
About Clarian North
Clarian North is a full-service hospital committed to providing exceptional care and service. With dedicated pavilions for women, children and specialty surgery, and an attached medical office building, Clarian North brings together physician offices, inpatient beds and operating rooms. All patient rooms are private, including neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, within the 700,000-square-foot, 170-patient bed facility. Clarian North Medical Center is part of Clarian Health, a system of hospitals and health centers throughout Indiana, which includes Methodist and Indiana University hospitals, Riley Hospital for Children, Clarian West Medical Center, and soon, Clarian Arnett and Clarian Fishers Medical Center.
About Physio-Control
Physio-Control, a division of Medtronic, is located in Redmond, Wash. Physio-Control pioneered defibrillation technology over 50 years ago. With more than 650,000 LIFEPAK defibrillator/monitors distributed worldwide, the company is the world's leading provider of external defibrillator/monitors for the treatment of sudden cardiac and other cardio-respiratory emergencies. To find out more about Physio-Control, go to www.physio-control.com or call 1-800-442-1142.
