Lake Pointe launches system to improve heart attack patient outcomes

Web-based LIFENET® System utilizes emergent patient data to help reduce time to treatment in the Lake Ray Hubbard Community

(Rowlett) Feb. 27, 2012 – Lake Pointe Health Network today announced they have launched a new system to help improve heart attack patient outcomes.  The LIFENET System, from Physio-Control, Inc., offers emergency medical services and hospital teams tools to work together to help improve clinical and operational efficiencies.

LPHN’s use of LIFENET System has the goal of reducing time to treatment, known as door-to-balloon time (D2B), for patients in the communities served by LPHN who experience a dangerous type of heart attack known as STEMI (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction).

STEMI 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, which may include balloon angioplasty and stent placement in the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab, the more likely they are to have a positive outcome.  D2B time refers to the interval from patient arrival at the hospital to inflation of the balloon catheter within the patient’s blocked artery – the shorter the D2B time, the greater the chance of survival.

“The LIFENET System will help us reduce time to treatment for STEMI patients,” said Dr. L. Scott Dencklau, medical director of the emergency services at LPHN.  “Studies show that time from onset of symptoms to treatment is critical to improving survival and outcomes for these patients. Having this new system will enable us to better meet the guideline of treatment as recommended by the American Heart Association and theAmericanCollegeof Cardiology.”

About the LIFENET System

LIFENET System is a state-of-the-art, easy to use system designed to connect EMS teams and hospital personnel with emergent patient data, and to help increase workflow so that a patient can receive treatment as quickly as possible.  LIFENET enables paramedics in the field 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.  This is all securely managed by a web-based system administered by Physio-Control.

EMS crews in the field use a cardiac monitor/defibrillator to obtain a 12-lead ECG, whether from a LIFEPAK® 12, 15 or third party device.  The ECG report is then securely transmitted over the internet.  Hospital teams are alerted to incoming information, are able to view the patient data and share with other care teams, and engage remote clinicians for decision support through a dedicated iPhone application.  The ease of communication throughout the care team helps save critical time, especially important when cath lab activation is indicated.

LIFENET System allows paramedics, physicians and nurses to focus on treatment decisions and patient care while the system works quietly in the background, both in the field and in the hospital emergency department or cath lab.  LIFENET is helping communities elevate heart attack care to a whole new level by enabling them to set up systems of care for reducing time to treatment for STEMI patients.

More about STEMI

The American Heart Association estimates that close to 400,000 people in the U.S. experience STEMI every year.  Studies show that when D2B time is 90 minutes or less, patient outcomes significantly improve, and hospital stays are shorter (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2006).

The use of pre-hospital 12-lead ECGs plays a key part in reducing D2B times (Critical Pathways in Cardiology, 2007).  The 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care emphasize the importance of a well-organized approach to STEMI care to activate rapid access to reperfusion therapy.

A 90 minute D2B time has become a core quality measure for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards, and in many states, a condition of licensure and receipt of Medicaid reimbursement.

ABOUT LAKE POINTE HEALTH NETWORK

Lake Pointe Health Network is a locally focused health network developed by Lake Pointe Medical Center and designed to improve access to healthcare services in Rockwall, Rowlett, Royse City and the surrounding communities.

The network currently comprises Lake Pointe Medical Center, a 112-bed acute care hospital located in Rowlett at 6800 Scenic Drive; Lake Pointe Imaging Centers, diagnostic imaging centers located in Rockwall at 1005 West Ralph Hall Parkway, Suite 121 and in Forney at 763 E. State Highway 80, Suite 120;  Lake Pointe Sleep Center, located in Rowlett at 7501 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 140; Lake Pointe Cancer Center, a center providing comprehensive cancer care, located in Rowlett at 7501 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 120; Lake Pointe Breast Center, a center providing comprehensive breast care, located in Rockwall at 1005 West Ralph Hall Parkway, Suite 121;  Lake Pointe Wound Care Center, a comprehensive wound care center that includes hyperbaric oxygen therapy, located in Rowlett at 7501 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 240; Lake Pointe Urgent Care Center, located in Rockwall at 1005 West Ralph Hall Parkway, Suite 115; Lake Pointe Cardiac Rehabilitation, located in Rowlett at 7801 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 110; and Lake Pointe Fitness and Outpatient Rehabilitation, located at 9400 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 124.

Lake Pointe Health Network is committed to providing the same high quality health care found at Lake Pointe Medical Center.

To learn more about Lake Pointe Health Network, visit lakepointemedical.com.

Submitted by Bobby Montgomery, Director Marketing and Sleep Medicine, Lake Pointe Health Network.

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