Treating Infarction More Quickly

Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in the Netherlands uses a time tracking solution for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with the aim of reducing the time between the incident in the hospital and treatment, known as the door-to-balloon (DTB) time. Precise time tracking and data evaluation in real time are important in these cases. AMI occurs when blood flow to the coronary artery becomes blocked. The results are circulatory disorder, ischemia of the heart muscle, and damage to the heart muscle. In the hospital, blood flow is restored through primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using balloon dilation. LUMC’s Department of Cardiology is establishing its own door-to-balloon (DTB) unit. Zebra Technologies, a supplier of time tracking solutions for various applications, is working together with LUMC to develop this system based on its Zatar Internet of Things platform. Bluetooth-capable patient armbands and digital display devices that are installed in the hospital between the admissions desk and cardiac catheterization laboratory are also a part of the solution. This solution provides real-time feedback on DTB time and allows hospitals to monitor the condition of their patients. This technology will allow cardiologists, emergency doctors, nurses, and EMTs to concentrate on shortening the DTB time.

Hospitals can use this solution quickly because it can be installed in only a few days without IT support and does not require special personnel training. The software could potentially be used for other time-critical emergency treatments as well, for example, as a way to monitor door-to-needle time in the event of an acute ischemic stroke.