Innovative 12-Lead ECG Solution Assists Basic Life Support

This provides clinicians an earlier insight into a chest pain patient’s condition, especially in rural areas with limited access to advanced life support providers, and helps enable efficient routing for patient treatment.

The ReadyLink portable ECG system only requires a three-step process to capture and transmit a reading; preparing the patient’s skin and placing the electrodes; one-button push to acquire the 12-lead ECG; and one-button push to transmit the ECG to a selected hospital facility via the Lifenet system. Additional features include a full keyboard for easy patient data entry, a backlit screen, an external AC/DC converter with a rechargeable lithium ion battery, a built-in modem, and an internal storage capacity of up to 60 ECGs. The ReadyLink portable ECG system and the Lifenet system are products of Physio-Control (Redmond, WA, USA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Medtronic (Minneapolis, MN, USA), and have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The ReadyLink 12-lead ECG is the first device of its kind designed to expand the reach of regional chest pain management networks,” said Brian Webster, president of Physio-Control. “It was designed specifically for the needs of BLS teams responding to a chest pain call, providing them with real-time decision support and cutting time-to-treatment by directing them to the appropriate care facility, making more successful patient outcomes possible.”

An ECG translates the heart's electrical activity into line tracings, often helping to confirm the diagnosis of a heart attack. One particular segment of the ECG tracing is called the ST segment and it is used to distinguish two types of heart attack: STEMI or non-STEMI. Both are subcategories of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the general situation where blood flow to the heart muscle is suddenly cut off or reduced; about 30% to 45% of all heart attacks are STEMI. The diagnosis helps determine short-term therapies.

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