Emergency responders use latest technology to save lives
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CHILLICOTHE – Since the beginning of this month, 10 patients have benefited from the use of sophisticated technology that allowed emergency responders to transmit electrocardiograms from the field and directly to hospital staff at Adena Greenfield Medical Center.
In each case, first responders used a cardiac monitor/defibrillator to obtain a 12-Lead ECG and the Internet to transmit vital patient information to physicians and nurses.
“Using this amazing technology, care was provided to the patient more quickly because we knew what was happening from the moment emergency responders arrived,” said Katherine Dye, Manager of the Emergency Department at AGMC.
Hopefully, she said, this equipment will go a long way in reversing a tragic trend in southern Ohio. The rate of heart disease and deaths associated with severe heart attacks in Appalachian Ohio, which encompasses the area served by AGMC, are among the highest in the nation.
A 12-Lead Electrocardiogram Receiving Station was installed at the medical center in May 2011. But only this month was technology introduced to enable Emergency Medical Services crews to transmit those electrocardiograms, or ECGs, to physicians and nurses at the center.
“It allows the staff an opportunity to prepare for the patient prior to their arrival. A physician can review the ECG and determine the plan of care for that patient,” Dye said.
If the patient has a STEMI, the physician can decide how best to care for that patient – either by having the patient transported directly to AGMC or to the nearest hospital with a catheterization lab. A STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, is a serious and often deadly heart attack.
“This new technology will reduce the amount of time it takes to get patients the intervention they need,” said Sandy Smith, AGMC’s Administrator
The ECG receiving station at AGMC was purchased by volunteers who raised money from yard sales, flower sales and gift shop sales. “Volunteers supported the idea of having this type of equipment locally to be able to provide the best care for patients,” Dye said.
CHILLICOTHE – Since the beginning of this month, 10 patients have benefited from the use of sophisticated technology that allowed emergency responders to transmit electrocardiograms from the field and directly to hospital staff at Adena Greenfield Medical Center.
In each case, first responders used a cardiac monitor/defibrillator to obtain a 12-Lead ECG and the Internet to transmit vital patient information to physicians and nurses.
“Using this amazing technology, care was provided to the patient more quickly because we knew what was happening from the moment emergency responders arrived,” said Katherine Dye, Manager of the Emergency Department at AGMC.
Hopefully, she said, this equipment will go a long way in reversing a tragic trend in southern Ohio. The rate of heart disease and deaths associated with severe heart attacks in Appalachian Ohio, which encompasses the area served by AGMC, are among the highest in the nation.
A 12-Lead Electrocardiogram Receiving Station was installed at the medical center in May 2011. But only this month was technology introduced to enable Emergency Medical Services crews to transmit those electrocardiograms, or ECGs, to physicians and nurses at the center.
“It allows the staff an opportunity to prepare for the patient prior to their arrival. A physician can review the ECG and determine the plan of care for that patient,” Dye said.
If the patient has a STEMI, the physician can decide how best to care for that patient – either by having the patient transported directly to AGMC or to the nearest hospital with a catheterization lab. A STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, is a serious and often deadly heart attack.
“This new technology will reduce the amount of time it takes to get patients the intervention they need,” said Sandy Smith, AGMC’s Administrator
The ECG receiving station at AGMC was purchased by volunteers who raised money from yard sales, flower sales and gift shop sales. “Volunteers supported the idea of having this type of equipment locally to be able to provide the best care for patients,” Dye said.