Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

QUINCY, ILL. -- Paul Davis says, "I think if you're going to have a heart attack, have it in Adams County."

Or at least in the surrounding area.

Paul Davis is the director of the Adams County Ambulance Service, and he's very excited about the survival rates of heart attack patients in the area.

He's not the only one to share that excitement.

So to is the Director of the Cardiac Cath Lab at Blessing Hospital, Dr. Steve Krause.

Over the last three years, some things have changed internally that have changed many people's lives for the better.

It's a program called Heart First.

During a heart attack, time is of the essence. Just three years ago, if you came to the ER at Blessing Hospital, staff would figure out which cardiologist was on call, get ahold of them and figure out what medications to give you. The cardiologist would come in want to look at the EKG and make sure it's heart attack. Then they would call in the staff of the cath lab and take you to surgery. As fast as the staff could work, that just took time. Thanks to Heart First, your trip to the ER is expedited, and it all starts where you have the heart attack.

Paul Davis says, "We have paramedics and EMTs in the field that can treat heart attack patients early. Very early. Right at their side. If you call 911 and you're having chest pain, turns out to be a heart attack, we're going to start treating you right there."

Dr. Steve Krause says, "We use bluetooth wireless technology. If you're having a heart attack out in the field, EMS...we have a great EMS team here in the community and the outreach communities that we cooperate with. They will do an EKG in your living room, and will transmit it back to the hospital."

When the EKG is sent, it dings in the ER. Doctors look at it to confirm whether it's a heart attack. If it is, the on call cardiologist is paged.

Paul Davis says, "The cardiologist on call can get it on his smartphone and see this information and be anticipating this patient coming to the emergency room."

Dr. Steve Krause says, "So, often we meet or sometimes beat the ambulance to the ER bay. Having us standing there as they take you off of there is probably a great feeling and comfort to the patient."

Paul Davis says, "Too many people are driving themselves or being driven by private vehicle to the hospital while they are having a heart attack. That in and of itself delays care."

Dr. Steve Krause says, "EMS is no longer just a ride to the hospital. They transmit EKGs, they give you life saving medication. We are one of the first EMS sites in IL that gives Plavix, which is a blood thinner from the back of the rig."

In some cases, patients can bypass the ER completely because the cardiologist already knows so much about that patient, that they can take them straight to the cath lab to open up a clogged artery. Just to show you some of the success, the national average of what's called door to balloon time, or the time it takes doctors to get a patient from the ER door to the time it takes to open an artery is 70 to 80 minutes. At Blessing Hospital, the last quarter average was 38 minutes.

So what's the secret behind Heart First?

The team behind Heart First, which includes the EMS, Life Flight crew, ER staff, cardiovascular staff, the Directors of the Cardiovascular Unit and the Cath lab meet once a month.

They talk about ways to get patients to the cath lab in the shortest and safest amount of time possible.

So far, their ideas have worked and Blessing Hospital has been a great partner.