Solutions offered by Philips can help to reduce the time from discovery of a heart attack to treatment to 90 minutes, the limit recommended by experts, by enabling hospitals to better organize resources throughout the treatment procedure, starting before patients enter their doors. When a patient suffers a heart attack, heart muscle starts dying immediately. This means that every second saved between onset of chest pains and administration of treatment is vital. It is both proven and widely accepted that reducing the time from discovery to treatment, such as an emergency angioplasty procedure, in which a balloon is used to clear a blocked artery, has a significant impact on a patient's long-term recovery.* This has prompted the American College of Cardiology, in partnership with the American Heart Association and others around the world, to launch the 'Door to Balloon' (D2B) campaign to reduce the elapsed time from the arrival of the victim at the hospital to angioplasty to 90 minutes or less.
The Philips 'Discovery to Treatment' solution is a combination of products that help clinicians meet the 90 minute 'Door to Balloon' target. It means clinicians can make early assessments that would usually be made after arrival at the hospital to significantly speed up heart attack treatment and ensure patients are cared for more effectively right from the point their heart attack is discovered. The system allows paramedics to immediately transmit data from ambulance to hospital; in turn, clinicians in hospitals can receive ECG data and assess a patients condition and the type of treatment they will need before the patient even arrives at the emergency department.
As a patient moves through the cycle of cardiac care, whether in the ambulance, emergency department, diagnostic imaging center, catheterization (cath) lab, operating room and /or critical care ward, Philips helps to manage the flow of patient information, making it available when and where it is needed to enable health providers to offer better, faster care.
Philips' 'Discovery to Treatment' solution includes:
- The HeartStart MRx monitor/defibrillator which enables paramedics to wirelessly transmit vital 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) patient data on the heart's condition while en route to the hospital
- The Philips Tracemaster Vue system to manage the ECG data so that when the patient gets to the hospital, all usual administration is bypassed because details relating to them have been already received and entered in the system
- The Xper FD10 imaging equipment in the cath lab which can be prepared in advance once the data is received, to help clinicians pinpoint issues in the heart and confidently plan and execute interventional procedures
- The Philips Intellivue monitor which continually monitors the patient's vital signs and accompanies the patient through the hospital
- The Philips CVIS informatics solution to ensure rapid access to the seamless sharing of clinical information at every stage of care in the hospital
"With over 17 million people around the world dying from cardiovascular disease each year, this is the world's number one cause of death," commented Joris van den Hurk, Vice President, Cardiology Care Cycles, Philips Healthcare. "That's why we're working together with cardiologists to develop technologies that integrate into each part of the cardiac care cycle - from emergency care to diagnosis, treatment and long-term care."
* De Luca G, Suryapranata H, Ottervanger JP, Antman EM., "Time delay to treatment and mortality in primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction: every minute of delay counts". Circulation, 2004 Mar 16; 109(10):1223-5. Selected quote: "These results suggest that every minute of delay in primary angioplasty for STEMI affects 1-year mortality, even after adjustment for baseline characteristics. Therefore, all efforts should be made to shorten the total ischemic time, not only for thrombolytic therapy but also for primary angioplasty."
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- Philips Healthcare's Profile
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified Health and Well-being company, focused on improving peoples lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of "sense and simplicity". Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 128,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 27 billion in 2007, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.