Danbury Hospital Gets New Heart-Care Equipment
Posted on: Monday, 29 August 2005, 03:01 CDT
As part of an initial evaluation of patients with chest pain, area Emergency Medical Services staff will soon have the ability to wirelessly transmit a critical electrocardiogram from a home, business or other community setting to physicians in the emergency department at Danbury Hospital.
Purchased jointly by the hospital's Regional Heart and Vascular Center and the Danbury Hospital Development Fund, a Medtronic Life Net Receiving Station located in the emergency department's critical- care area, will be used to receive electrocardiograms from all outlying emergency services in Northern Fairfield County and parts of New York state.
"Timely care for heart attacks is essential. Having the patient's electrocardiogram results in advance of the arrival of that patient to the emergency department allows us to be better prepared," said Dr. Andrew M. Keller, chief of cardiology and medical executive, Cardiovascular Service Line. "When we are warned about a patient with a significant heart attack, we can mobilize our emergency and cardiac teams to treat sooner and more effectively than if the test was performed upon arrival at the hospital. Early treatment saves lives and preserves the heart when an acute attack ensues."
Dr. Patrick Broderick, chairman of the emergency department at Danbury Hospital, agrees: "Being able to send an electrocardiogram while initiating treatment in the field is extremely important to the optimal care of these acutely ill patients."
"The more information we can obtain from our first responders prior to arrival - in this case a 12-lead electrocardiogram - the sooner we can engage our colleagues on the cardiac team, thereby optimizing both care and outcomes," Broderick added.
The receiving station works over existing cellular phone networks, transmitting a signal within seconds and continuously trying the transmission if the ambulance is traveling in an area with limited or no cell service.
Keller said the receiving station supports the goals of the hospital's Regional Heart and Vascular Center, where about 80 openheart surgeries have been performed since late. January.
Based on the 2004 state approval to begin a program for cardiovascular disease, Danbury Hospital plans to begin angioplasty - the standard of care for treating heart attacks in late summer.
"This technology now allows Danbury Hospital to provide better care in collaboration with EMS providers by, improving communication and the timeliness of treatment for heart attacks and other forms of cardiovascular disease. We plan to have the system fully enabled before we start our emergency angioplasty program. The two will complement each other in very important ways," Keller said.
Copyright Westfair Communications Jun 27, 2005
Source: Fairfield County Business Journal
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