Published: December 15, 2008 07:48 am      

New heart monitors directly communicate with hospitals

Five new heart monitor-defibrillators recently purchased by the Cleburne Fire Department could make the difference between life and death in emergency situations, said Fire Chief Clint Ishmael.

“It all relates to patient care,” Ishmael said. “They have more features than the old monitors had, the main one being the ability to transmit information from the 12-lead EKG to the receiving facility.”

Such ability will lead to quicker care should a patient be experiencing a heart attack or other heart-related problems, Ishmael said.

“Doctors call it door to balloon time for hospitals,” Ishmael said. “While we’re en route, a cardiologist can look at the information and determine if the hospital needs to get the catheter lab ready ahead of time.”

Unlike doctors, a paramedic’s job is to treat, not to diagnose, Ishmael said. Information transmitted by the new monitors ahead of time gives doctors information they can use to make life-saving decisions.

Information received and action taken because of the new monitors may cut 30-45 minutes off the patients’ care time, Ishmael said.

“Before, hospitals would receive and process the patient in the ER,” Ishmael said. “Then determine if they needed a shunt to remove a blockage or other surgery.

“But if we can detect these problems in the field and transmit them to the hospital, the patient may bypass the ER and go straight into the surgery room.”

Quicker care might save the patient’s life in many instances and result in less permanent heart damage, Ishmael said.

“It could make the difference between a limited lifestyle for the next 20 years and living a full life,” Ishmael said.