Hamilton County EMS to Announce 12-Lead Transmission From the Field

HAMILTON COUNTY, TN: Posted on February 22, 2010. Submitted by Amy Maxwell, PIO. On Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 10:00 a.m., Mayor Claude Ramsey will hold a press conference to introduce a major improvement to the care being provided to heart patients by Hamilton County EMS and a joint venture with all three major local hospital groups.  This announcement will take place at EMS Station 9 (1900 Long Street). 

This new system is a remote transmission of field ECG’s (electrocardiogram, also known as an EKG).  Hamilton County EMS is now able to transmit all ECG’s from the patient location to a hospital providing cardiac catheterization.  This system is internet based and allows the receiving hospital to activate their cath team prior to the patient arrival at their hospital, there-by saving valuable time and potential heart damage. This advanced assessment significantly reduces cardiac muscle damage time by allowing patients to bypass the Emergency Room and be transported directly to the cardiac cath-lab.

This new process emphasizes the importance of early activation of the cardiac catherization  lab in order to improve reperfusion time in patients diagnosed with a STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) or heart attack.