May 15, 2008 Oakdale woman reunites with EMS crew that saved her life Patient and crew honored at Regions event on May 20 St. Paul, Minn., - It was a feeling Claudia Madigan had never felt before that prompted her to call 911. "I was busy all morning, then instantly I felt nauseous, dizzy and I began sweating," said Madigan. "One of the paramedics told me they thought I was having a heart attack." The Oakdale Fire Department arrived at Madigan's home and she was immediately rushed to Regions Hospital where she was admitted to the hospital's catheterization lab - all within 45 minutes. In October 2006 Regions began its Level I Cardiac Program, which is a network of area community hospitals and emergency transport services that work in concert with Regions Heart Center staff to quickly diagnose, transport and treat patients having a heart attack. The medics use their training and conduct a 12-Lead EKG reading, which determines the patient is experiencing a heart attack. The goal is to open blocked arteries in the catheterization lab at Regions in less than 90 minutes from when a patient is first admitted to an area hospital or transported by local emergency medical services. Regions average time for getting patients transported and to the catheterization lab was 70 minutes in 2007. The rapid Level I Cardiac system activations have helped save lives from throughout the East Metro and western Wisconsin since the program began. Madigan will reunite with the crew that brought her to Regions during the hospital's Annual EMS Rig Wash event on Tuesday, May 20, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the ambulance bay near the Emergency Center. The Oakdale Fire Department crew will be honored at noon during the "Friends of EMS" portion of the event. Regions Hospital is a Level I Trauma Center and teaching hospital serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin for more than 130 years. Regions is a private, non-profit hospital providing outstanding care in womens health, heart, cancer, surgery, orthopaedics, neurosciences, burn, emergency care and more. Regions is part of the HealthPartners family of care. Additional information is available at regionshospital.com. Contact: Jennifer Kovacich (651) 254-4726 (651) 629-0411 pager |
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