TriHealth Provides Greater Cincinnati Community with Tools to Increase Heart Attack Survivability
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TriHealth is equipping Advanced Life Support (ALS) squads in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties with special monitors that have the capability of EKG (electrocardiogram) transmission. The equipment enables paramedics in the field to transmit EKG data on suspected heart attack patients to emergency physicians, cardiologists and other health care professionals, which allows hospital personnel to activate the cath lab team to be ready for the patient upon arrival. That efficiency, in turn, reduces the time it takes to open blocked arteries via balloon catheterization—known as door-to-balloon time—which has proven critical in minimizing damage to heart muscle and increasing the patient’s chance of survival.
The Reason Behind the Decision
Bethesda North Hospital Emergency Department routinely sees more patients with acute heart attacks than any other in Greater Cincinnati. Bethesda North’s level of expertise coupled with the growing volume pushed TriHealth as a health system to search for ways to increase survivability of heart attack victims.
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| TriHealth has provided equipment to life squads throughout Southwestern Ohio that allows them to transmit EKGs to any hospital with compatible receiving equipment, allowing for quicker diagnosis and speedy treatment of heart attacks. |
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The solution was to treat heart attack patients as trauma victims by having emergency personnel alerted from the squad so the cath lab team can be prepped and ready to act when the patient arrives. The trauma approach seemed to have a positive impact on heart attack care.
When the opportunity to participate in a nationwide study conducted by Duke University and Welch-Allyn to measure the effectiveness of improved response time arose in 2005, the organization jumped at the opportunity. With financial support from the Bethesda Foundation and research abilities made possible by TriHealth’s Hatton Institute, Bethesda North became one of five hospitals to participate in the TIME Multicenter Study (and the only hospital in Ohio).
The 36-month study involved partnering with six area squads that had high volumes of heart attack patients to determine the impact on door-to-balloon time of sending EKG readings from the squads to the emergency room. As the TIME study was underway, Good Samaritan Hospital implemented the trauma approach to heart attack care, as well, so patients throughout the TriHealth system would benefit from the shared expertise.
At the conclusion of the TIME study, Bethesda North was able to reduce its average door-to-balloon time to 74 minutes, which is significantly below the national benchmark of 90 minutes. Today, our expertise and door-to-balloon times have continued to improve. Bethesda North now averages 72 minutes, and Good Samaritan averages 73 minutes.
Funding from TriHealth allowed the program to be expanded to all Greater Cincinnati squads to improve response times for patients and hospitals throughout our community.
Natural Progression of TriHealth’s Dedication to Heart Health
This initiative is just one of many tactics TriHealth has employed it a community-wide strategy to improve heart attack survivability. TriHealth also has:
- Partnered with the American Heart Association to distribute CPR Anytime kits to organizations who agree to train members in CPR.
- Partnered with the Cincinnati Reds to place additional automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) at Great American Ballpark to allow improved response to sudden cardiac arrest events at the ballpark.
- Provided annual first aid training led by a paramedic instructor to Reds security personnel. CPR and AED training accounts for about 3-4 hours of the day-long sessions.
TriHealth’s focus on caring for the hearts of Cincinnatians extends far beyond the walls of its two hospitals, bringing life-saving technology and training into the community we serve.
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