Need An EKG? There's An App For That!

MIAMI (CBS4) -- Heart disease is the #1 killer of men and women in America. Heart attacks strike more than 1 million people each year. Now, some Broward doctors are using smart phones and iPads to speed up diagnoses and treatment for cardiac arrest patients.

When you have a heart attack or go into cardiac arrest, time is of the essence.

"Time is muscle. If you're able to open the artery quickly you save muscle and saving muscle saves lives," explained Dr. Jose Soler.

With that in mind, several Broward hospitals including Northwest Medical Center in Margate are now using new technology to improve patient care.

"When we're in the hospital it's very easy you just look at the EKG either in the computer system or on the chart. When we leave the hospital, we're still responsible for patient care and sometimes we get calls in the middle of the night when we're out to dinner. And we're still responsible," Soler added.

That's where Airstrip Cardiology software comes in.

"So we're able to see rhythm variations for example."

Using a smart phone or iPad, doctors like Soler can get a high resolution view of an EKG in near real-time.

"Actually open up and do some measurements that are important in determining if a patient is having a cardiac infarction or heart attack that requires a cardiac catheterization laboratory," said Soler.

Transmissions can even be sent from the ambulance allowing doctors to make critical decisions quicker than ever before.

"We can bypass the emergency room and go right into the cath lab, even minimize what we call that door to balloon time. The ability to make these decisions quickly I think will impact patient care," Soler said.

Soler also said this same technology will soon allow doctors to monitor the blood pressure of patients in intensive care.