02/03/11 133 W - + 7 - 2 EMS World: From Fire Scene to Cath Lab
From a reader, from the
EMS World web site, here's an article by Johnston County EMS Training Officer Joshua Holloman, about a September structure fire and a 48 year-old firefighter who complained of chest pains. Though the EMS crew had cleared, a paramedic unit was summoned. An ECG was performed and an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) was revealed. (Yours Truly has to Google that one, to fully understand.) The firefighter was transported to the appropriate facility 30 miles away-- bypassing three community hospitals unable to offer the necessary treatment-- and he received a record door-to-balloon time at the heart center. He was discharge and home a few days later. As the sub-headline notes, the effective programs worked together to prevent a firefighter death.
Read the story.