AIKEN, S.C.- Aiken County's ambulance service is going high-tech to help heart patients.

Electrocardiograms or EKGs reveal important heart rhythm information.

Thanks to bluetooth technology, Aiken County EMS workers can now send EKG results to the hospital before the patient gets there.

For heart attack patients, first responders do what they can to make sure they can keep your heart beating.

“Whenever you are talking about a heart attack, more time decreases blood flow to the heart. It's important to get patients to the cath lab,” said Jimmie Williamson, Aiken County EMS.

Paramedics read the patient's EKG, and with the help of a blue tooth device, they are able to fax the results to any hospital. The device sends information to hospitals so they are ready and waiting when the patient arrives.

The whole process takes three minutes.

“You can save 20 minutes when you get a team in,” said Williamson.

Those 20 minutes could mean the difference between life and death. The heart monitor also shows how serious the heart attack is, so paramedics can select the best hospital for treatment.

Aiken County EMS was able to buy the bluetooth device through fundraising help from Mended Hearts.

They raised about $16,000 to buy the equipment. Paramedics are able to send information to 14 hospitals around Georgia-Carolina.

NBC Augusta 26 News checked with Gold Cross. They tell us they have laptops installed in all ambulances that will send heart information to emergency rooms.

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