New procedure substantially reduces time needed to treat heart-attack emergencies.

By MICHAEL BAKER, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES - With a heart attack, every second counts.

"We have a saying in cardiology that 'time is muscle,'" said Shrikanth Upadya, M.D., a cardiac interventionist with Citrus Cardiology Consultants and Central Florida Health Alliance. "When a patient is having a heart attack, it's important for us to open a blocked artery as quickly as possible to prevent muscle damage."

Bearing this in mind, health care professionals are always trying to minimize the time between receiving a patient in an ambulance and getting him or her to the catheterization lab where the real work can begin.

The same way that Michael Phelps works tirelessly to shave every second from his record breaststroke time, Upadya prides himself on every minute he saves in treating a heart attack patient.

Last week, Upadya participated in the treatment of a Villager experiencing a heart attack that demonstrated a successful step in reducing this time - and setting a new standard for himself and his colleagues.

The ambulance crew picked up the man - who preferred not to be identified for this article - and administered an electrocardiogram - a procedure that identifies if and where a patient is experiencing a heart attack - during the commute to the hospital.

These results were faxed over ambulance radio frequencies to Leesburg Regional Medical Center, where Upadya was able to interpret them and meet the patient at the door.

By doing this, Upadya was able to entirely bypass the emergency room - where heart attack patients normally go for more preliminary tests and another EKG. Instead, Upadya brought the patient into the cath lab, cleared the blocked artery, and placed a stent in the patient's heart.

"It saved us 20 minutes, easy," Upadya said.

In fact, from the time the patient arrived at the hospital until the time he was fully treated was only 12 minutes. The average time for such treatment across the country is 112 minutes, Upadya said.

And, as Upadya readily admits, this incredible feat is the result of an entire team of health care professionals.

Indeed, a crucial element in this scenario was new technology installed in Lake-Sumter EMS ambulances.

Larry Phillips, a paramedic with Lake Sumter EMS, shows how information from the cardiac heart monitor is transmitted from an ambulance to doctors at the hospital.

Without this technology, it would have been impossible for Upadya and his patient to skip the emergency room and head straight for the cath lab.

But seamlessly connecting the opposite poles that comprise the health care web is no easy process.

"We tried using cell phones, but they didn't work all the time, so we upgraded to radios, which work with about 99 percent assurance," Judge said.

Judge said the goal is to transform ambulances into "mobile intensive-care units."

Judging by the results of their most recent foray into rapid heart attack treatment, it would appear that they are well on their way.

Michael Baker is a reporter with the Daily Sun. He can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9245, or Michael.Baker@thevillages media.com.

Larry Phillips, a paramedic with Lake Sumter EMS, shows how information from the cardiac heart monitor is transmitted from an ambulance to doctors at the hospital. George Horsford / Daily Sun