HMC launches telemetry service for heart patients

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA HAMAD Medical Corporation (HMC) Ambulance Service, in collaboration with the heart hospital, on Monday launched a new service, which will allow telemetry paramedic crew respond to an emergency in connection with a suspected heart attack vital information from the scene.

The telemetry service, currently at 60 ambulances in the fleet has been fitted, can paramedic crew to record and transmit the patient's electrocardiogram (ECG) of the scene the clinical team leader in the national control centre (NCC).

The clinical team leader then makes an informed decision on whether the patient to the Hospital of heart or Hamad General Hospital must be transported.

If the patient is transferred to the Hospital of heart, the ECG will be transferred from the ' life Pack ' 15 machines to the heart hospital for the cardiologist to watch before the patient arrives. This allows the employees of the Hospital of heart are prepared with the appropriate intervention for the patient for his arrival.

Addressing a press conference, Medical Director of the HMC Ambulance Service Dr. Loua al Shaikh said that the new system was introduced to prompt attention within the crucial time needed to treat heart attacks.

He said: "this new equipment will streamline the process of transferring information about the patient to the doctor that will be retrieved from the patient in the Hospital of heart and allow for more informed clinical decisions can be taken in advance. Treatment of the patient may therefore as quickly as possible ".

According to President of Cardiology on the heart hospital Dr Abdulrazak A Gehani was the possibility of wireless transmission of ECG the patient to the hospital a remarkable development in the process of treatment of the patient of a heart attack.

"It's not just speed up the diagnosis of the patient, but also allows us to set as we receive full information about the condition of the patient.

Apart from the ECG, transmitting the system also sends about other important data such as blood pressure and heart rhythm, rate amount of oxygen in the blood and other vital information about the patient, "he said.

Gehani also said that an improved version of the system whereby the ECG simultaneously will be forwarded to the smartphone from the cardiologist that service will be introduced soon.

Heart hospital Interim Chief Executive Officer Dr Lionel Jarvis and HMC Ambulance Service Manager Rashid Andaila were also present at the event.