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The Medical Center Announces Launch of New LIFENET STEMI Management Solution  6/16/2009

The Medical Center announced today that it has implemented the LIFENET STEMI Management Solution from Physio-Control. The first web-based system of its kind, this new solution has the goal of reducing door-to-balloon (D2B) times for patients in Southcentral Kentucky 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.

“The LIFENET STEMI Management Solution will help reduce door-to-balloon times for STEMI patients,” said Dr. Humair Mirza, Interventional Cardiologist with Western Kentucky Heart and Lung Associates. “Studies show that the time from onset of symptoms to restoration of blood flow to the heart is critical to improving survival and outcomes for these patients. Having this new system will enable us to better meet the guideline of treatment in 90 minutes or less, as recommended by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.”

The LIFENET STEMI Management Solution allows emergency medical technicians and paramedics to transmit electrocardiograms (ECG) from the field to the appropriate departments involved in the patient’s care including the emergency room and cardiac catheterization lab. This allows for physicians and nurses to better prepare for the patient’s arrival at the hospital, thus reducing D2B time.

“This updated technology will definitely help save more lives,” said Randy Fathbruckner, Director of Medical Center EMS. “During a heart attack, it is crucial that a patient receive proper treatment as soon as possible. When our EMS personnel are able to transmit critical information from the field, it sets many things in motion at the hospital in preparation for the patient’s treatment.”

The American Heart Association estimates that nearly 400,000 people in the U.S. experience STEMI every year. Studies have reported a significant relationship between pre-hospital 12-lead ECGs and shorter D2B times. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology has also reported that mortality for acute cardiac events has been shown to increase 40 percent if D2B time stretches from 90 minutes to 120 minutes.

The Medical Center at Bowling Green is a Cycle II accredited chest pain center with PCI by the Society for Chest Pain Centers. Percutaneous coronary intervention, commonly referred to as PCI, is the use of cardiac catheterization to treat the narrowed coronary arteries of the heart. Full Cycle II accreditation with PCI is the gold standard for a Chest Pain Center, and implementation of the LIFENET STEMI Management Solution is another measure The Medical Center is taking to provide expeditious, accurate care for heart attack patients.

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