Charleston Daily Mail
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.V. — In the past year, the odds of surviving one type of heart attack greatly improved in Kanawha County, thanks to advances that make it possible to diagnose patients while they are on the way to the hospital.
Paramedics with the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority are now using portable 12-lead electrocardiogram machines that allow them to take EKGs in the ambulance or even inside a victim’s home.
Using cell phones and Bluetooth wireless technology, they can transmit EKG results to the hospital. Emergency room doctors can read the EKG and call in a cardiologist and support personnel if necessary.
This has dramatically sped up the treatment of people who suffer a heart attack called an ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, or STEMI.
In early 2007, about 40 percent of STEMI patients were treated within 90 minutes of arriving at CAMC.
Now, 80 percent of STEMI patients are treated within that 90 minutes.
“It’s a great advance in hospital emergency care,” said Dr. John Burdette, the authority’s medical director. He is also an emergency department physician at St. Francis Hospital.
CAMC received a $200,000 grant to expand the program to nine counties in central and southern West Virginia. The money will be used to train doctors and paramedics.
Given the rural nature of the area, the ability to diagnose the patient while on the way to the hospital undoubtedly will save lives.
Getting the patient to the hospital within 90 minutes will continue to be a problem in some areas. Charleston cardiologist William Carter said patients could receive clot-busting drugs from nurses at community hospitals under a doctor’s orders.
Saving lives requires skill and speed. The teamwork these physicians, paramedics and hospital personnel exhibit are an inspiration to those of us who follow less critical pursuits.