Code STEMI Web Series Examines London Ambulance Service

Documentary explores how one of the busiest ambulance services in the world is pushing emergency medicine forward

LONDON & REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--London Ambulance Service and Physio-Control, a leading provider of emergency medical response technologies worldwide, today announced the release of the Code STEMI web series documentary focused on the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The episode explores how one of the busiest ambulance services in the world, in partnership with London hospitals, is pushing emergency medicine forward with a system of care aimed at improving heart attack and cardiac arrest outcomes. The episode is available at: http://firstrespondersnetwork.com/codestemi/videos/london-ambulance-service/.

“We hope that by sharing our experience in London we can help other healthcare systems around the world give their patients the best chance of survival, because ultimately as an ambulance service everything you do has to be in the best interests of the patient.”

The London Ambulance Service (the Service) has made remarkable strides improving sudden cardiac arrest outcomes, contributing to a 31.7 percent survival rate for 2011/2012, doubling that of just three years ago. Additionally, the Service in 2006 instituted transporting heart attack patients directly to one of London’s eight specialist heart attack centers staffed by interventional cardiologists 24x7, bypassing the nearest emergency department. The resulting ambulance arrival-to-balloon time for 2011/2012 was 150 minutes for 92 percent of heart attack (STEMI) patients.

“We’ve worked really hard over the last few years to improve the survival rate of Londoners suffering immediately life-threatening cardiac conditions, such as cardiac arrest and heart attack,” said Mark Whitbread, consultant paramedic, London Ambulance Service. “We hope that by sharing our experience in London we can help other healthcare systems around the world give their patients the best chance of survival, because ultimately as an ambulance service everything you do has to be in the best interests of the patient.”

The Service and Physio-Control have a long-standing relationship dating back to 1995, marking one of the largest prehospital installations worldwide of Physio-Control lifesaving tools. The Service has deployed the LIFEPAK^® 15 monitor/defibrillator and LIFEPAK 1000 AED system-wide. Additionally, it has installed a large number of LIFEPAK CR^® Plus AEDs across London as part of its efforts to provide widespread public-access defibrillators.

“London Ambulance Service offers important insight into how different emergency medical response models around the world can be successful,” said Cam Pollock, vice president, global marketing, Physio-Control. “Physio-Control is proud to have played a role by providing the tools that have contributed to the Service’s improvements, as well as for making it possible to share its story with other healthcare professionals.”

Code STEMI web series background

‘STEMI’ (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) is a term used by healthcare professionals to indicate that a patient is experiencing a life-threatening heart attack, which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. STEMI patients have the best chance of survival when identified as quickly as possible by ambulance crews and taken directly to a specialist hospital where expert cardiologists can treat them immediately.

The Code STEMI web series examines high-performing regional systems of care that have demonstrated success in improving heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest patient outcomes. The series focuses on the individuals across the continuum of care, including the doctors, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, trainers, dispatchers, administrators and the patients themselves – to share their stories and best practices.

Code STEMI was co-conceived by Thaddeus (Ted) Setla, a paramedic filmmaker and owner of Setla Films and Tom Bouthillet, a paramedic captain with Hilton Head Island Fire & Rescue and editor-in-chief of the EMS 12-Lead blog, and Physio-Control. Setla and Bouthillet act as the series’ director/producer and host/producer, respectively. Physio-Control underwrites the series exclusively and assists with its production.

About London Ambulance Service NHS Trust

London Ambulance Service is one of the busiest free ambulance services in the world covering the 620 miles of Greater London, a population of 8.2 million people. Last year the Service’s central London control room received 1.6 million emergency calls. Frontline staff in ambulances, cars, on motorbikes and on bicycles attended 1.1 million incidents. Over 5,000 staff work for the Service, based in 70 ambulance stations around the capital. Since 2006, ambulance crews have taken patients diagnosed with a STEMI directly to one of eight heart attack centers in London, rather than the local emergency department. Last year the Service announced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest Utstein survival rates in London of 31.7 per cent – the highest in the UK and among the best in Europe.

About Physio-Control

Physio-Control, Inc. is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company operates in over 100 countries and is the world’s leading provider of professional emergency medical response solutions that predict or intervene in life threatening emergencies. To learn more visit www.physio-control.com.