LewisGale Hospital Montgomery Achieves Record 14-Minute Door-to-Balloon Time

LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Virginia, recently achieved a record door-to-balloon time of 14 minutes for one of their STEMI patients—one of their fastest ever. 

LewisGale has been working to create clearer lines of communication between its team members. They implemented Pulsara to successfully create a streamlined process for team communication around potential heart attack patients. 

Dr. John Patterson, a cardiologist at LewisGale, described how Pulsara allows him to receive notifications and information about a new patient instantly: "With this platform, I have the ability to see the EKG and activate the cath lab. All of this happens immediately so that it shortens the length of time it takes from the time the patient starts having their heart attack to the time they arrive at our hospital, to the time that we fix it. All of these times get shortened significantly with a platform like this." 

Pulsara makes it easy for each member of the care team to upload patient information and alert other caregivers, enabling them to quickly create a shared awareness of the patient's condition. Medics can instantly send information from the field, giving cardiologists like Dr. Patterson the opportunity to view a patient's information or review their ECG before they ever arrive at the hospital. They can also chat in real time, giving both teams the opportunity to ask and answer questions. This helps both medics and physicians make decisions faster, decreasing the time it takes to care for patients. Dr. Patterson can then, in turn, alert the cath lab, saving valuable time for the patient by preparing the right care for them before they even arrive. 

Dustin Williams, Deputy Chief of Christiansburg Rescue, agrees that the mobile platform has helped speed communication, making it easier for EMS to get vital information to the hospital. "Previously where we had to transmit [information] via fax or email, and then call, all of this is done in one [place]. It allows us to chat in near real-time with the hospital, or the ER, or the cardiologist, in the case of a heart attack."

Streamlining their communication system has led to a promising decrease in time-to-treatment, allowing LewisGale to provide faster care for patients. Dr. Patterson is pleased with the way it's changing patients' care experience. "With technology like this, we can shorten the time to where there is very little to no permanent damage to the left ventricle, which allows the patient to function normally and get back to work within a week instead of maybe months."

In the words of Dr. Patterson, every minute counts, and every minute saves muscle. Pulsara is proud to support the outstanding work of LewisGale Hospital Montgomery and the EMS organizations that partner with them. 

Pulsara can help improve communication and decrease time-to-treatment for many types of time-sensitive emergencies, including STEMI, stroke, and trauma, as well as facilitate communication around behavioral health, toxicology, and obstetrics. Learn more about what Pulsara can do for your facility.