Powhatan EMS & St. Francis ED
Intervene in Record Time

Within 24 hours, Powhatan EMS brought two patients having heart attacks to the St. Francis Medical Center’s Emergency Department so that they could receive state-of-the-art treatment in record time. Having brought these patients from the country, Powhatan EMS and the cardiology team at St. Francis were able to perform life-saving interventions within 38 minutes or less. This was made possible by the EMS providers calling the St. Francis Emergency Department prior to their arrival.

Chris Atkins, Tom Ward, Scott Dixon, Aubrey Smith, Dr. Mark Xenakis, Dr. Robert Sisson, as well as the whole St. Francis Emergency Department and Cath Lab staff, played a crucial role in treating the two patients.

“Our goal is to intervene within one hour, but 30 minutes from a rural county area is world-class healthcare,” said Martha McAloon, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at St. Francis.

Dr. Robert Sisson, the Director of Emergency Cardiac Care at St. Mary’s Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center credits the quick turnaround to the hospital’s strong relationship with Powhatan EMS.

“The EMS is a critical component of our STEMI Team. The ability of the Powhatan EMS providers to accurately diagnose patients with heart attacks and give pre-arrival notification to our Emergency Department really can save lives in our community,” said Dr. Sisson.

Early recognition of heart attack symptoms is critical for survival and positive outcomes. For an online self-assessment, visit http://bsva.org/HeartAware or visit http://bsva.org/a3mhv1 for information about heart attack warning signs.

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