Faster treatment

Hopkinton ambulances are now equipped with modems to transmit EKG data to MetroWest Medical Center so doctors can be ready for patients suffering certain heart problems when they reach the hospital. According to Deputy Fire Chief Steve Slaman, the LifeNet system is meant to cut down on the time it takes to get patients in need of emergency angioplasty from their homes to specialized treatment in Framingham. “They call it door-to-balloon time and they want to get it under 90 minutes,” Slaman said. With the new technology in the ambulances, not only can doctors at the MetroWest Cardiac Catheterization Lab see the patient’s heart readings, but the data also can be sent via computer to a doctor’s cellphone. Other towns working with MetroWest Medical Center on the program include Ashland, Natick, and Framingham, Slaman said.