Fla. Agency One of 20 in State to Win Mission Lifeline EMS Award
Aug. 13--PALM BEACH GARDENS -- That Hollywood image of a middle-aged man gripping his chest from the crushing pain of a heart attack isn't exactly accurate.
Not everyone has that pain, and other symptoms such as shortness of breath, unexplained back pain and profuse sweating should prompt a phone call to the doctor or 911, Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue EMS Division Chief James Ippolito said.
"The problem with heart attacks is that a lot of the signs and symptoms can mimic other things," Ippolito said. "Of course, any delay is not good."
The agency was the only one in Palm Beach County to earn the American Heart Association's 2015 Mission:Lifeline EMS Award and one of 19 in the state to do so. The distinction measures the time it takes first responders to notify the hospital they're on their way with a severe heart attack patient until the hospital inflates a balloon catheter in him or her to clear the blockage.
To earn the award, 75 percent of their severe heart attack cases had to have that done within 90 minutes. The city fire rescue's average with Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center was 64 minutes, Ippolito said. The recognition is specifically for severe heart attacks caused by a prolonged period of blocked blood supply affecting a large area of the heart, Ippolito said. The technical term is ST segment elevation myocardial infarction.
Emergency responders can perform an electrocardiogram in the field to determine that it's happening and tell the hospital to prepare the catheterization lab, where a team clears the blockage.
"Obviously, time is of the essecnce," he said.
Someone has a heart attack in the United States every 43 seconds, and about 610,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Palm Beach Gardens residents are waiting as many as three hours on average to make the call, Ippolito said, citing the agency's 2014 study of 64 patients complaining of chest pain or exhibiting any other signs of heart attack. The national average is between an hour and a half to two hours, Ippolito said.
People often either don't recognize the symptoms of a heart attack, or they blow them off, Keri Taylor, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center chest pain and stroke coordinator said. Signs of a heart attack can also include nausea and indigestion; neck, back or jaw pain; left arm pain and aching or burning in the chest.
Paramedics can send the EKG from the field to the hospital so the doctor can look at it, and the catheritization lab and team can be cleared for a patient's arrival. They don't have that warning if someone drives to the emergency room. From the time the patient hits the hospital's door is consistently less than 60 minutes, Taylor said. The goal is less than 90 minutes.
"If we get advanced notice, we can have the team ready as soon as you arrive at the door," Taylor said.
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