On Monday, Aug. 20, Southeast Georgia Health System presented area EMS
providers with CAREpoint workstations, a communication system that will
save precious minutes in the treatment of heart attack patients and allow
the Health System to activate a Code STEMI (heart attack) prior to the
arrival of the patient, thereby reducing the time before treatment and
minimizing damage to cardiac muscle.
The communication system is able to transmit electrocardiogram and other
patient information to the Health System’s Brunswick or Camden campus
as ambulances are en route.
“With a heart attack patient, the sooner we’re able to provide
treatment, the better their chance for a positive outcome,” says
Adam Sanchez, R.N., nurse manager, Emergency Care Center-Brunswick. “The
national standard, and our goal, is to treat heart attack patients within
90 minutes of their arrival to the hospital. With this system, the emergency
management technician only needs to press a button to send an EKG to the
emergency care center, allowing us to call in the cath team and get the
cath lab activated before the patient arrives.”
The Health System purchased 25 units to be installed in ambulances in Glynn,
Brantley, McIntosh and Camden counties and Jekyll Island and will also
maintain the license expense as a community service.
The equipment was presented to local EMS providers during a dinner on the
Health System’s Brunswick Campus. They received training on the
new technology from Phil Carey, southeastern sales specialist for General Devices.