Brazil's Samu adds pre‑hospital heart attack treatment and reports first month of 105 calls

The Mobile Emergency Service (Samu) unit in São João Batista, Santa Catarina, began operations on 1 July and completed its first month with 105 pre‑hospital attendances. The 24‑hour service, based at the local fire‑fighter barracks and equipped with a basic‑life‑support ambulance (Bravo 21), responded to 77 calls in São João Batista and the remainder in nearby municipalities such as Nova Trento, Canelinha, Major Gercino, Tijucas and Angelina. Municipal health secretary Marcos Marcelino said the rapid response “makes a difference in preserving lives.”

In Limeira, São Paulo, Samu will from 10 August implement a pre‑hospital thrombolysis protocol for ST‑elevation myocardial infarction, using the drug Tenecteplase. The measure allows treatment to start inside the ambulance, aiming to reduce the time to therapy by about nine minutes and up to 30 minutes in remote cases. The city invested R$ 442.9 million for the initial drug supply, and Mayor Murilo Félix highlighted that “each minute counts” for heart‑attack patients.

Both initiatives illustrate expanding emergency‑medical capabilities within Brazil’s Samu system.