TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Fire Department is undergoing training for a new device that could save many lives.
The department spent $1.2 million on the devices, replacing older models with newer, more advanced machines. The goal of the monitors is to provide care wherever the patient may be.
2 News wanted to understand the importance of the machine from someone who knows how quickly a heart episode can turn bad.
@bradenbatestv The Tulsa fire department unveiled an upgraded device that’ll try and help save people in dire situations. #heartattack #monitor #medical #stateoftheart #oklahoma #tulsa ♬ original sound - Braden Bates
"We’re here one time, and heart health is not, if not the most important organ to maintain in your body, and one of the things it’s taught me is life is precious," said survivor Chad McLain.
He was healthy and did not think much about his heart before. But he said his family's history helped him get checked.
"So, in 1998, my mother died suddenly of a heart attack," said McLain. "When I turned 50 years old, I found myself short of breath. And I’ve always been an active person, and I was encouraged to go get checked out, and I got checked out before I had an event, and I found out I had a blockage, a pretty significant blockage.
Oklahoma ranks first nationally for heart disease deaths, according to CDC data from 2022.
It's also the leading cause of death in Oklahoma.
"When you look at the Tulsa Fire Department, we respond to nearly 15 chest pain calls a day or somebody possibly having a heart attack," said Justin Lemury, director of emergency medical services with TFD.
That’s why the department is upgrading heart monitors. The new monitors are lighter than the old ones and can send live data to the hospitals when on the scene.
"This monitor here we try to make sure we are doing it the right way and so we can make sure when we start our CPR we can do our compressions at the right rate and we’re staying on track," said Lemury.
"This monitor gives us the ability to transmit directly from this Lifepak cardiac monitor to the hospitals directly. So those doctors can have this information before we ever get there."
McLain, who advocates for the American Heart Association, said he’s glad TFD isn't skipping a beat with heart safety.
"You’re dealing with a short period of time, and every second counts, so if they are able to communicate," said McLain. "I mean, it’s the difference between life and death, literally the difference between life and death."
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