With the use of 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) technology, Crittenton Hospital Medical Center is saving precious minutes for heart attack patients.
Crittenton is one of only 14 hospitals in the state of Michigan to be accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. This dedication to our community’s heart health led to enhancing not only the partnership with 15 Rochester-area emergency medical services (EMS) teams that transport patients to Crittenton, but also the accuracy and speed of treatment in the Emergency Department (ED).
With 12-lead EKG services, paramedics perform an EKG as soon as they arrive at the patient’s location, and software housed in the ambulance transmits the test results to the ED at Crittenton within 15 seconds. This means a patient’s EKG results are in physicians’ and nurses’ hands for review before the patient is placed in the ambulance, and the ED is ready to start treatment as soon as the patient arrives.
The 12-lead EKG system allows the ED to interface more effectively with EMS teams and significantly reduces the risk of complications and morbidity due to a sudden cardiac event. The national best practice door-to-balloon time—the time between a patient’s arrival at the ED and the time he or she receives interventional treatment— is 90 minutes. At Crittenton, the average door-to-balloon time is 49 minutes.
“The implementation of 12-lead EKG technology was a natural progression in our focus on chest pain and heart health,” says Glenn Garwood, Manager of EMS Systems at Crittenton. “The hospital has created an interdependent partnership with local emergency medical services to give patients the best care possible when minutes matter most.”
For more information about the 12-lead EKG software and other services at Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, visit
www.crittenton.com or call (248) 652-5000.
