BENTON, La. -Increasing the likelihood of surviving a heart attack has now become a reality in Bossier Parish.
New equipment could help Bossier Parish EMS provide the best pre-hospital emergency care in the state. The Stryker LifePak 35 is the newest technology for cardiac monitoring and defibrillation used for advanced patient care. Bossier Parish EMS is the latest emergency medical service to get this equipment. "Previously we've been doing 12-lead EKGs for years. This device is designed to do 15-lead EKGs. We're hoping that that will allow us to detect more patients that are suffering from heart attacks sooner," said Bossier Parish EMS Administrative Director Marty Turvey. With the ability to livestream all information to hospitals, doctors can make decisions faster. "They can also include the cardiologists at the hospital in the same data stream. Decisions can be made while we're at a patient's house by a cardiologist that they want to treat the patient in the cath lab, and that will significantly decrease the time that it takes to get a patient to definitive care," said Turvey. If patients are helped faster, it can also have less strain on the body, which can prevent future problems. "Obviously, you want to save lives, but you're also talking about decreasing human suffering. Somebody is not just surviving a heart attack. It's as much cardiac muscle as possible, surviving, so people have optimum outcomes," said Turvey. Bossier Parish is the first in North Louisiana and second in the state to get this equipment. "We're really excited to be on the leading edge of that. Part of our mission is making sure that the residents of Bossier Parish have the very best pre-hospital emergency care that we can provide," said Turvey. The devices are already being used on ambulances throughout the parish.