California Hospital Implements Program to Stream EKG Data From First Responders to Physicians' Phones

Tags: El Camino Hospital | Lifenet | STEMI heart attacks

Mountainview, Calif.-based El Camino Hospital has teamed up with Mountain View Fire Department and American Medical Services to launch "Lifenet," technology used to streamline care for heart attack patients, according to a Mercury News report.

Lifenet essentially reduces precious time in preparing for emergency response to STEMI heart attacks. It allows emergency responders to simply press a button, which sends patients' electrocardiogram data from an ambulance straight to a hospital or cardiologist's smartphone. This way, medical professionals prepare before the patient's arrival.

The Medtronic-manufactured Lifenet system can cut down 10 to 15 minutes in preparation time, according to the report. The American Heart Association recommends that a blocked artery be opened within 90 minutes of the patient's hospital arrival.

Read the Mercury News report on the Lifenet system.

Read other coverage on healthcare technology:

- Information on 21,000 Patients Taken from Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

- Study: 94 Percent of Physicians Use Smartphones, 44 Percent Prefer iPhone

- "More Wired" Hospitals List Toughens Standards for 2010

© Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2012. Interested in LINKING to or REPRINTING this content? View our policies by clicking here.