Medlert and Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum Team Up to Save Lives

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 12, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medlert, the fastest way to get personalized medical attention in an emergency, invited cardiologist Suzanne Steinbaum, MD, to share her thoughts on how both medical professionals and average people can save more lives during a heart attack. The article, "Time is Muscle: Saving Lives Starts Outside of the Hospital," focused on the concept of "door to balloon time" and how measuring "symptom to balloon time" instead may improve overall heart attack survival rate.

When measuring speed of treatment during a heart attack, hospitals measure "door to balloon time" based on the time from when a patient arrives at the hospital to when the blocked artery of the heart muscle is opened up again. Dr. Steinbaum shares that "Oxygen is crucial to the health of the heart muscle, so every minute the heart muscle does not receive it can lead to major damage. Our general goal is to open the arteries within 90 minutes or less from the moment the patient walks in the door, and recent statistics show that almost 60% of patients are treated in less than 90 minutes."

Measuring "door to balloon time" doesn't necessarily take into account the whole picture when someone is having a heart attack. In fact, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that reducing "door to balloon time" did not result in a decrease in patient mortality. It is also important 911 is called when symptoms are first noticed. "Any delay in treatment just adds unnecessary odds to the loss of heart muscle, and to the probability of death. You have no time to lose."

"It is critical that patients receive fast care the second they notice symptoms of a heart attack," said David Emanuel, CEO of Medlert. "Our technology is helping improve response times and get medical attention to patients as fast as possible. In addition, our users get the added benefit of having their medical history available to dispatchers and emergency responders, meaning they are aware of any previous emergencies or chronic illnesses."

Dr. Steinbaum recommends also focusing on "symptom to balloon time" by taking into account how long a patient waits between noticing the first symptoms and calling 911. "When people take control of their hearts and get to the hospital as soon as possible, then quality and speed of care, including how fast the doctors are able to open the arteries, matters, as we have always been taught."

Medlert not only improves the speed at which patients receive emergency medical care, the mobile app notifies friends and family about the emergency.

To read more from Dr. Steinbaum and Medlert, please visit http://blog.medlert.com/ or www.srsheart.com. 

About Medlert

Medlert is the fastest way to get personalized medical attention in an emergency. With one touch, Medlert provides high quality customized medical care by connecting you with a trained emergency operator with access to your medical history. Medlert also shares that information with first responders and alerts family members and friends so they know that an emergency is taking place. Founded in 2012, Medlert has managed over 7,000 medical emergencies across the US. For more information or to sign up for this service to protect yourself and your family please visit www.medlert.com.