Lifenet RS Links Tennessee Paramedics With the ER

Bartlett is the first community in the Mid-South whose residents can benefit from Medtronic Sofamor Danek's Lifenet Receiving Station at Methodist North Hospital.

Lifenet RS provides a critical link between paramedics in the field to hospital-based physicians in the emergency room. This new technology allows a patient's medical history to be combined with medical information obtained during an emergency medical response call, reducing the time it takes to diagnose a potential heart attack.

"It is important to be progressive, and this technology helps us stay current with the latest innovations for saving lives," said Gary Graves, fire chief for the Bartlett Fire Department. "It's exciting to work with emergency room physicians to make it possible for patients to receive earlier intervention which can result in healthier lives for our residents."

Paramedics with the Bartlett Fire Department can now send a diagnostic-quality 12-lead ECG (electrocardiogram) to the Lifenet RS in the emergency room at Methodist North Hospital within 90 seconds.

"When we treat a patient who is experiencing any form of heart trouble, we can connect a digital cell phone to our Lifepac 12 defibrillator and send the emergency room at Methodist North an ECG of the patient's heartbeat," said Lt. Darren Webb, a paramedic with the Bartlett Fire Department. "This way, doctors in the ER get to see how the heart is working before we do anything out in the field to stabilize the patient as we prepare to transport that patient."

By receiving the ECG and medical history of the patient before the ambulance arrives, physicians in the emergency room get a clear look at how the patient's heart is working at the time of trouble. The physician can read the ECG and determine if immediate intervention is necessary. If immediate intervention is needed, the physician can send the ECG to the cardiologist on his cell phone or to his computer and the physician can also alert the team in the cardiac catheterization lab. This flow of information helps patients receive emergency cardiac treatment faster than ever. That treatment can range from placing a stent to bypass surgery.

"The significance of the Lifenet RS is the window of opportunity it gives us to treat patients who are experiencing acute heart problems," said Rich Davis, chest pain center coordinator at Methodist North Hospital. "We can mobilize our cardiologist and cath lab so they are ready to treat the patient as soon as the ambulance arrives, drastically improving the time from diagnosis to treatment."

Methodist North Hospital is incorporating this new technology in its HeartSTAT protocol, which uses a specific set of procedures for patients who think they are having a heart attack, allowing patients to receive a faster, more efficient diagnosis.

Hospital officials anticipate the pilot program at Methodist North will expand to their other facilities.

Mary Alice Taylor is communications specialist for Methodist Healthcare.

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