The Lincolnwood Fire Department has received an award for its pre-hospital care of patients who suffer from heart attacks and strokes.
Lincolnwood last month became one of only 19 municipalities in the state with an emergency response department that was recognized with the American Heart Association’s Mission Lifeline award.
The association’s award spotlights emergency response teams for providing efficient cardiac care that follows clinical treatment protocols for treating a segment elevated myocardial heart infection (STEMI)—which is caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart.
Chief Mike Hansen of the Lincolnwood Fire Department said the award measures how well emergency responders are able to communicate with a hospital when responding to a cardiac medical emergency.
When EMS technicians tend to a person suffering from an arterial blockage or cardiac arrest, Hansen explained, every minute is crucial.
Data from the patient’s heart monitor in the ambulance is sent the hospital the patient is being taken to.
For hospital staff, the ability to receive specific preliminary information on the condition of the patient before they’re brought to the hospital is vital, Hansen said.
“When looking at blockage in the brain or blockage of a coronary artery, the more time that goes by, the more damage that happens,” Hansen said. “So we want to get the patient in there and so the arteries can be reopened as quickly as possible.”
Lincolnwood’s protocol to send EKG data directly from the ambulance to the hospital lets doctors know when a patient should skip the emergency room and undergo cardiac catheterization, a medical procedure where a catheter is put into a blood vessel and threaded to the heart.
Before Lincolnwood had EKG-equipped ambulances, cardiac care took longer, Hansen said, because patients would first go to the ER for an EKG and blood work before doctors would decide whether they should receive a cardiac catheter.
The village of Lincolnwood recently purchased two new cardiac monitors to double the number of EKG machines available in its ambulances, according to the village.
To determine the recipients of the Mission Lifeline Award, the American Heart Association measured emergency response departments based on the number of patients who received various types of pre-hospital treatment, according to the American Heart Association.
Hansen, who is a member of the American Heart Association’s Advisory Board, said he decided to apply for the award this year for the first time.
“I thought it was time to see if Lincolnwood could get recognition for the great work we do,” Hansen said.
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
