Mercy Hospital invests in LifeNet®, a heart device which significantly reduces the “door-to-balloon” time period for a patient
Miami, FL (November 8, 2007) – Mercy Hospital recently announced the acquisition of LifeNet®, a new technology used to transmit a patient’s cardiac information directly from the field to the emergency room - resulting in a significant reduction on the amount of time it takes to prepare for a patient suffering from a heart attack.
Mercy Hospital has teamed with the City of Miami Fire Department to bring LifeNet to the Miami area. The heart device allows paramedics to send a real-time snapshot of the heart and its electrical pulse by cell phone to a computer receiving station in the hospital.
Sent in 12 different pictures along with the electrical activity associated with it, physicians are able to access the situation as if the patient were physically there and make preparations prior to the patient’s arrival. The “door-to-balloon” time, which begins when a patient arrives at the emergency room and ends when the closed heart artery is opened with a balloon, has been reduced.
The goal is to meet “door-to-balloon” time of 90 minutes which will certainly be more when using the LifeNet system. Every minute of this period is critical when a patient is undergoing a heart attack.
“It is exciting to have this technology which allows us to review the 12-lead and prepare for it all prior to the patient’s arrival at the hospital,” said Dr. Monica Manasa, cardiovascular laboratory physician advisor and administrator of the STEMI program. “The sooner we are able to access patient information and prepare for the patient, the sooner we are able to open the artery and stop the heart attack. Time is critical and the availability of the LifeNet lends itself to providing us faster door-to-balloon times.”
The timesaving device is made by Redmond’s Emergency Response Systems, a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Medtronic, a manufacturer and developer of medical equipment and technology. Several hospitals nationwide have employed the use of LifeNet system. Mercy Hospital is the first hospital in the Miami metropolitan area to acquire this heart saving tool as part of its commitment to offer the best healthcare to its community.
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Mercy Hospital, a recipient of the prestigious Magnet™ award for nursing excellence, is Miami-Dade’s only Catholic Hospital. Established in 1950, it is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph and a member of Catholic Health East. A 483-bed acute care hospital, staffed by over 700 physicians representing 27 medical specialties, its Centers of Excellence include: The Heart Center at Mercy Hospital, the Miami Cancer Center at Mercy Hospital, the Orthopaedic Institute at Mercy Hospital, and the Minimally Invasive Surgical Institute at Mercy Hospital. Mercy Hospital is located at 3663 S. Miami Avenue, Miami, FL.
For more information contact:
Arianne Rey
(305) 860-4634
Yvette Rodriguez
(305) 663-3543
