Andover, Mass.- Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI) demonstrated the company's strategy to help caregivers more efficiently focus on specific cardiac conditions by bolstering the entire continuum of care required to support a cardiac patient from illness to wellness-whether it is coronary artery disease, stroke or heart failure. Throughout the annual American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting this week in Chicago, Philips highlighted its complete, dynamic portfolio of cardiology solutions. The company is addressing the needs of cardiology customers seeking to improve care by helping customers reduce time to treatment for certain heart attack patients, generating vivid computed tomography (CT) scans to efficiently diagnose cardiac patients in the emergency room, enabling unparalleled live 3D ultrasound scans of the beating heart to assist surgery planning, and making it possible to monitor cardiac patients in their homes.

Philips' cardiology solutions help providers reduce time to treatment for Phoenix-area heart attack patients by nearly 45 minutes. Every minute counts for many heart attack patients. In the case of patients suffering from a class of heart attacks called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the current ACC recommended "door to balloon" (D2B) protocol-referring to time from patient's hospital arrival to balloon catheter inflation within the patient's blocked artery-is less than 90 minutes. Philips' technologies can help hospitals reduce D2B time by clearing a path from discovery to treatment.

First, the Philips HeartStart MRx monitor/defibrillator enables paramedics to wirelessly transmit vital 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) data on the heart's condition while en route to the hospital. Once this data is received, caregivers move into action, preparing the catheterization (cath) lab before the patient arrives. Philips informatics solutions throughout the D2B care cycle deliver instant access to and seamless sharing of clinical information throughout the hospital. Inside the emergency department and cath lab, Philips cardiovascular imaging equipment helps clinicians pinpoint issues in the heart and allows for confidently planned and executed interventional procedures.
Some of these advanced solutions are helping the community of Glendale, Arizona save valuable time for critical STEMI patients. Outfitted with a HeartStart MRx in every fire engine, the Glendale Fire Department utilizes the innovative pre-hospital triaging technology when a patient displays symptoms consistent with STEMI.

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