Verde Valley Medical Center’s Emergency department recently donated 23 Rosetta-LT ECG and Data Translators to local first responders. These portable units automatically record and can transmit a patient’s live 12-lead ECG results by emergency medical service radio (EMSR), land line, satellite phone, or radio directly from the field to the hospital in less than one minute. This provides the hospital with a patient’s condition prior to arrival.

VVMC data shows when a heart attack is identified by EMS personnel before hospital arrival, the patient can be taken directly to the Cardiac Cath Lab for emergency intervention, decreasing the door-to-balloon time (when a patient arrives in distress to when the interventional procedure is started). This saves precious minutes and heart muscle, and ultimately saves lives. The recommended national guideline for door-to-balloon time is 90 minutes or less. VVMC’s door-to-balloon times average 55 minutes or less.

Units were distributed to Blue Ridge Fire Department, Camp Verde Fire Department, Clarkdale Fire District, Cottonwood Fire Department, Lake Montezuma/Rimrock Fire Department, Sedona Fire District, Verde Valley Ambulance and Verde Valley Fire District.

VVMC is the first hospital in northern Arizona and one of only three hospitals in the state utilizing this system; the other two are in Tucson and Phoenix.