Mesa joins effort to help heart attack victims

"The Cardiac Alert program may save the lives of at least 10 to 20 Mesa, Arizona, heart attack victims a year and reduce the heart damage suffered by many others. Mesa joined the Gilbert and Apache Junction fire departments in using the protocol last month after obtaining $900,000 worth of advanced 12-lede electrocardiograms, enough to equip 37 fire trucks, through a statewide study with Zoll Medical Equipment. The devices will help firefighters determine much earlier if a patient is having a heart attack. Firefighters would then call ahead to one of four Mesa hospitals to make arrangements for a heart catheterization laboratory, where a doctor would open an artery to mitigate damage"