Press Release
September 10, 2007
Contact: Kaylyn Kendall Dines
(973) 972-3000
dineskd@umdnj.edu
Innovative Wireless Technology Reduces
Cardiology Treatment Time at UMDNJ
- Journal highlights how STAT-MI reduces treatment time for
heart patients -
|
NEWARK — An innovative wireless technology designed to transmit electrocardiograms to cardiologists is being used at The University Hospital to help cut treatment time for patients by 50 percent. A recently published article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology explains how this technology streamlines the delivery of care. The University Hospital is the only health care institution nationwide where this model is used.
The article, “Clinical Research: Acute Myocardial Infarction - ST-Segment Analysis Using Wireless Technology in Acute Myocardial Infarction (STAT-MI) Trial,” describes the process that occurs when a paramedic responds to a 911 call for an individual with symptoms related to heart disease. The STAT-MI technology gives paramedics an opportunity to transmit a patient’s EKGs from a remote location to the hospital’s Emergency Department, reducing the time it takes for cardiologists to receive notification and treatment to be administered.
Dr. Marc Klapholz, Chief of Cardiology, said the system was recently used on a passenger whose flight arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport. After landing the passenger, who had experienced chest pains while in flight, was diagnosed with a heart attack. Before transporting the patient from the airport terminal, paramedics used the STAT-MI technology to transmit his EKGs to cardiologists at University Hospital. In less than 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital, the patient was treated with a catheter-based technique involving angioplasty and stenting. National standards require that such treatment be administered within 90 minutes.
The STAT-MI network was developed by a collaborative task force including University Hospital’s Cardiology and Emergency Medical Service departments, the Emergency Department, hospital administration, the New Jersey Department of Health, the Information Systems and Technology and Telecommunications at UMDNJ. The innovative network consists of LIFEPAK 12 defibrillators, LifeNet Receiving Stations, Motorola E815 Bluetooth phones, Audiovox XV6700 smartphones, a dedicated email server and Metrocall text pagers. The technology was supported, in part, by a grant from Verizon.
An abstract of the article is available at the following link from the Journal of the American College of Cardiologists:
http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/abstract/50/6/509?.
UMDNJ is the nation’s largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,700 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and a school of public health on five campuses. Annually, there are more than two million patient visits at UMDNJ facilities and faculty practices at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a statewide mental health and addiction services network.
