Gary Wagner, 47, had a sudden heart attacked two years ago.
“I was outside working and I started to get light headed and I just started to have a lot of pain, across my back."
After passing out in the shower, his wife immediately called 911.
“Next thing I know I was being revived, surrounded by a dozen paramedics," he said.
Wagner got the proper treatment in the right amount of time, but that’s not always the case.
Steve Shebeck, Assistant Fire Chief for the Solon Fire Department, said, "Unfortunately, there are some cases that aren't successful.” He continued, “Research shows that early intervention is key in all cases."
Studies show doctors have about 90 minutes to restore blood flow before a patient's heart condition worsens.
"Time really is everything," said Dr. Donald Spanner, EMS Institute President at University Hospitals.
That's why hospitals in Northeast Ohio have started implementing a new protocol system for treating cardiac patients.
Part of that procedure started with administrating two specific medications along with aspirin, one that acted as a blood thinner and the other, a blockage preventer.
At UH, there's also a system in place allowing EKG readings from the field to be seen instantly by the cardiologist at the hospital.
“It's critical, and the whole process starts with the communication of the actual emergency," Shebeck said.
Dr. Spanner said methods like this are being implemented in hospitals now across our region and they're helping save more lives than ever before.
“These patients are prepped before they even get in our door, and they literally go past the ER right to the Cath lab because their getting the medicines that were previously only given in the emergency department."
That swift process, Gary told me, was partly what helped saved his life.
“There's not a day that goes by that I don't look at things differently."
In 2005, University Hospitals' average time to restore blood flow to the patient was 96 minutes. By 2015, that time decreased to 55 minutes because of their new process.
The American Heart Association reported the survival rate for patients who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital is about 10 perfect, however, the numbers are unknown in Northeast Ohio since local public health authorities do not collect that data.
