heart attacks

New Brunswick advanced-care paramedics will soon be equipped with medication that can stop heart attacks, or at least reduce the damage.

Last week, the government announced it is investing $2.5 million to equip ambulances in New Brunswick with pre-hospital thrombolytics, also known as “clot busters.” These medications break down blood clots and restore blood flow to the heart, stopping or reducing the damage caused by certain types of heart attacks.

According to a press release, providing early access to these medications can help reduce mortality, limit complications and improve overall patient outcomes for people experiencing cardiac emergencies.

“By equipping advanced-care paramedics with thrombolytics, we are enabling treatment to begin sooner, when it can have the greatest impact on saving lives and reducing long-term damage,” Health Minister John Dornan said in the release.

The funding will support the initial purchase and ongoing replenishment of the medication for the current fiscal year. It also covers any technological upgrades needed to support safe and effective use in the field.

Ambulance New Brunswick will begin using thrombolytics this summer.

The initiative will also expand the skill set of Ambulance New Brunswick’s advanced-care paramedics to meet the scope of practice for administering the medication, which paramedics in provinces such as British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia already do.

Craig Dalton, CEO of Extra-Mural/Ambulance New Brunswick, said in the release the province’s investment represents an important advancement in patient care and support for the paramedics who deliver it.

“Our advanced-care paramedics are highly skilled clinicians, and this initiative recognizes both the depth of their expertise and the critical role they play in delivering advanced care to New Brunswickers,” he added.