Bloomington Hospital beats national average in EKG time

For its second and third quarters in 2008, Bloomington Hospital successfully achieved a 90-minute patient arrival-to-surgery time in 90 percent of its cases. This places the hospital above both the state average of 71 percent and the national average of just 70 percent.

Door-to-balloon time is the time that elapses from the moment a patient enters the hospital to the moment the surgeons place a balloon in the clogged artery via a process called angioplasty. The goal of an angioplasty is to open the blocked artery and restore bloodflow to the heart muscle.

When a heart attack occurs, time is a crucial factor. Today, Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service has the ability to take an electrocardiogram in the field and transmit that information to the hospital before the patient arrives.

An EKG has the power to measure the heart’s electrical activity by placing sensitive electrodes on the body’s surface. A paper printout allows medical personnel to determine the activity in the posterior, anterior and interior sections of the heart.

Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service utilizes this device on the spot instead of waiting to do the procedure in a hospital. The information gathered is immediately sent to the hospital’s Emergency Department and Cath Lab team.

Dr. James Faris, a cardiologist at Bloomington Hospital, said the process began last fall “intermittently.” Faris said the hospital’s goal is for the patient to have the blocked artery opened within 90 minutes or less.

“A heart attack is a medical emergency, and therefore you should always call 911 and not try to drive yourself or have someone drive you to the hospital,” said Vickie Franck, executive director of Bloomington Hospital’s Regional Heart and Vascular Institute, in a statement. 

The ambulance crew is an extension of the hospital and can begin caring for a patient immediately, Franck said.

Faris said there are about 54 causes of chest pains unrelated to heart attacks. Many of the symptoms are different for men and women and from person to person. Men often feel increasing chest pain, pain down the left arm and shortness of breath.  Women, on the other hand, experience unusual fatigue, shortness of breath and nausea.

“The most important thing is that if you recognize any of these symptoms, call 911 to get medical help immediately,” Franck said.