400,000 people in the U.S. will experience STEMI this year, the most serious type of heart attack, according to the American Heart Association. OSF HealthCare, in collaboration with local EMS providers, is taking steps to better care for the heart attack patients through the LIFENET System.
LIFENET is a state-of-the-art system designed to connect EMS teams and hospital personnel so that a patient can receive treatment as quickly as possible. EMS crews in the field use a cardiac monitor/ defibrillator to obtain a 12-lead ECG which is then securely transmitted over the internet. LIFENET enables paramedics to alert hospital care teams and provide them with critical patient data so they can quickly identify STEMI patients, determine where to route them for care, and have staff prepared before the patient arrives, reducing time to treatment
STEMI (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction) poses a serious threat to the heart muscle and can result in death or serious disability for the patient. The more quickly patients receive treatment the more likely they are to have a positive outcome. It is important to keep the door to balloon (D2B) time – the interval from patient arrival at the hospital to inflation of the balloon catheter within the patient’s blocked artery – as short as possible.
“OSF hospitals have improved their ‘door to balloon time’ for heart attack patients significantly over the last few years. The greatest opportunity to further decrease this time is to reduce the time it takes for EMS to diagnose the patient and transfer them to the most appropriate level of care,” said Donald B. McElroy, MD and CEO of the Cardiovascular Service Line for OSF HealthCare. “LIFENET technology will directly reduce the ‘EMS to transfer to appropriate level of care’ time.”
OSF HealthCare is providing the LIFENET System to local communities through a major donation to regional hospitals and EMS providers, many of whom that otherwise may not have had the resources to fund it.
Heart attack patients throughout Illinois will benefit regardless of the hospital they are treated at.
Hospitals and EMS agencies receiving LIFENET Systems, including their OSF HealthCare hospital region, are:
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria: (Hospitals) – Pekin Hospital, St. Margaret’s Health (Spring Valley), Illinois Valley Community Hospital (Peru), Graham Hospital (Canton). (EMS Agencies) – B.Y.E. Ambulance, Elmwood; East Peoria Fire Dept.; Eureka-Goodfield Fire Protection District; Morton Emergency Medical Services; Peoria Area EMS System; Peoria Heights Emergency Medical Services; Washington Fire Dept.; West Peoria Fire Dept.; Mendota Fire Dept.; Peru Volunteer Ambulance Service; 10/33 Ambulance Service (Spring Valley); and Utica Fire Protection District.
OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington: (Hospitals) – Dr. John Warner Hospital (Clinton). (EMS Agencies) – Armington Fire & Rescue; Bloomington Fire Dept.; Bloomington Township Fire Protection District; Carlock Fire Protection District; Clinton Ambulance Service; Congerville Emergency Medical Transport; Dale Township Fire Protection District (Bloomington); Danvers Emergency; Downs Community FPD; El Paso Emergency Squad; Hopedale Rescue Squad; Hudson Fire Dept.; Leroy Emergency Ambulance; Lexington Ambulance Association; Mackinaw Rescue Squad; Minier Rescue Squad; Mt. Hope Funks Grove (McLean); Normal Fire Dept.; Putnam County Emergency Medical Services; and Towanda Community Fire Protection District.
OSF Saint James – John W. Albrecht Medical Center, Pontiac: Duffy-Baier-Snedecor Ambulance Service (Pontiac). The majority of EMS agencies in this region already have LIFENET technology.
OSF St. Anthony Medical Center, Rockford: (Hospitals) – Rochelle Community Hospital, Mendota Community Hospital. (EMS Agencies) – Capron Rescue Squad; Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District (Roscoe); Kirkland Fire Dept.; Leamons Ambulance Service, Inc. (Lena); OSF Lifeline Ambulance Service, LLC (Rockford); Rochelle Fire Dept.; Rockford Fire Dept.; and South Beloit Fire Dept.
OSF St. Mary Medical Center, Galesburg and OSF Holy Family Medical Center, Monmouth: The EMS agencies in the region already have LIFENET technology