| The Cardiac Alert Program, which has been used in Aurora for over two years, has changed how heart attack patients receive care in the city.
The program has given paramedics the ability to quickly separate those patients with actual heart attacks from those suffering from indigestion, respiratory illness, or other problems. This, of course, enables heart attack victims to receive treatment faster.
"The whole goal is reduced time," said Aurora Fire Department paramedic David Nehrig of the Cardiac Alert Program.
Certainly allowing highly trained paramedics to take a more active role in preparing a heart attack patient for surgery prior to arrival at the hospital has produced visible results.
While the national average for what is known as "door-to-open flow" time--when a cardiac patient arrives at the hospital until when the artery is unblocked--is 121 minutes, in Aurora that time now averages 59 minutes.
"We go on several chest pain calls every day. Not all are cardiac alerts," said Karen Allen, who has been a paramedic with the Aurora Fire Department for nine years. Allen and fellow paramedics such as Nehrig, who has been with the Aurora Fire department for five years, can now accurately diagnose heart attacks using what is called a 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG). This is the same kind of heart scan that used to be done only after a heart attack patient has reached the hospital. An EKG records the electrical impulses occurring during the heartbeat. Any deviation from the normal rhythm of the heart is a sign that something is wrong, such as a heart attack.
Because the Aurora Fire Department paramedics, who are usually the first on the scene, are now counted on to do much more with heart attack patients, it doesn’t take long before these patients can be rushed into the catheterization lab once they arrive at the hospital. | | Shortly after the arrival of a heart attack patient, a cardiologist at the hospital will work to open the blocked arteries using a procedure known as angioplasty. During an angioplasty, a specialist inserts a thin, flexible tube into a blood vessel and moves it toward the heart. Once the tube is at the clogged artery, an inflatable "balloon" is used to open the artery and return blood flow to the heart.
While the Aurora Fire Department played a major role in conceiving the idea of the Cardiac Alert Program, they are just one group responsible for turning the idea into reality. "It was a cooperative effort between the Aurora Fire Department, Medical Center of Aurora, and The Colorado Heart Institute," said Aurora Fire Department Captain Matthew Jepkes.
Aurora might have given birth to the Cardiac Alert Program, but others in the Denver area have been quick to adopt this model of patient care. In fact, communities nationwide have begun using the program that has sometimes meant the difference between heart attack patients living or dying.
In recognition of the Cardiac Alert Program’s ability to save lives, the International City/County Management Association awarded the Aurora Fire Department the Public Safety Program Award in September of this year.
While the accolades are certainly deserved, members of the Aurora Fire Department stress the advancement of patient care first and foremost. As Nehrig said, "In the end the person who benefits the most is the patient."
Editor’s note: For more information about the Cardiac Alert Program visit www.auroragov.org. |
