Department of Public Safety

In December 2010, new 12-lead wireless EKG defibrillators were placed on the St. Louis Fire Department ambulance fleet and can now e-mail heart attack information from a racing ambulance to the hospital. This new equipment saves precious time, which in turn, saves lives! The 12-lead wireless defibrillators measure a person's heartbeat and shocks the heart into normal rhythm, but it does so much more. It can help first responders in the field and doctors at the hospital at the same time by collecting, and then wirelessly sending the information to the hospital. The wireless transmission helps doctors diagnose the type of heart attack the patient may be suffering before the ambulance even arrives.

Cardiologists will be preparing for the heart patient as they are being brought in by the St. Louis Fire Department ambulance and the patient will be able to bypass ER, and go directly to the cath lab.

For every minute a heart goes without blood, more damage is done to the heart. Afterwards, brain damage from lack of oxygen can occur. The new 12-lead wireless defibrillators will cut minutes off of treatment time, giving the victim an even greater chance of being a survivor.

Reprinted from the Jan. 2011 Lifesaving Foundation newsletter.