Healthy lead

By Lia Bichel
DANDENONG Hospital has bought two new machines in an effort to enhance cardiac patient care.
The hospital was one of two Southern Health hospitals to received two new 12-lead electrocardiograph (ECG) machines, bought with more than $40,000 raised by businesses and partners at Monash Heart’s Golf Day fundraising event last November.
Casey Hospital also received two ECG machines.
A Southern Health spokesperson said a 12-lead ECG machine was an essential piece of equipment for a cardiologist when seeing a patient for the first time or in a review, and was used to perform the basic first test on all cardiac patients of all ages.
“The machine is able to pick up damage to the heart from a heart attack and can diagnose an acute ST elevation myocardial infarction for a patient experiencing chest pains,” the spokesperson said.
“The machine also tells cardiologists the exact heart rhythm a patient has or if the patient is suffering from a slow heart arrhythmia or life-threatening fast heart rhythm.”