Valley Health Winchester Medical Center (WMC) has been re-accredited as
a Chest Pain Center with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) by the
Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC). The hospital’s designation
has been renewed every three years since 2006.
“We have worked hard over the last ten years to fine tune our protocols
and expectations for chest pain patients,” says cardiologist Neal
Gaither, MD, medical director of the WMC Chest Pain Center. “We
are proud that, on average, our patients experiencing myocardial infarction
(MI) are diagnosed and treated significantly faster than the national
average. Since 2006 we have successfully shortened the mean time from
arrival at the Emergency Department to a treated lesion in the Cardiac
Catheterization Lab from 104 minutes to 50 minutes, which is 40 minutes
better than the national goal.”
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with
600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than five million
Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. The SCPC’s
goal is to significantly reduce the number of deaths by teaching the public
to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a heart attack, reduce
the time it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and
effectiveness of treatment.
“Time lost is heart muscle lost,” explains Kayla Roberts, WMC
Chest Pain Center coordinator. “The longer a significant blockage
starves the heart of oxygenated blood, the more damage it causes. So our
top priority is restoring blood flow to the heart. We work closely with
our EMS partners in the field to expedite assessment and transport to
WMC, where our Cardiac Catheterization team is available 24/7. It’s
a very collaborative team effort.”
The CPC accreditation process ensures that hospitals meet or exceed an
array of stringent criteria and have a comprehensive onsite review by
a team of accreditation review specialists. By maintaining SCPC’s
Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI accreditation, Winchester Medical Center
demonstrates expertise in:
- Integrating the emergency department with the region’s EMS system
- Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly
- Effectively treating patients at low risk for acute coronary syndrome and
no assignable cause for their symptoms
- Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
- Ensuring the competence and training of accredited Chest Pain Center personnel
- Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
- Constructing a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
- Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly
seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack.
As a SCPC-accredited facility, WMC is committed to reducing the mortality
rate of heart attack patients by teaching the public to recognize and
react to the early symptoms of a heart attack, reducing the time it takes
to receive treatment, and increasing the accuracy and effectiveness of
treatment.
Valley Health is committed to building community awareness of heart attack
risk factors and recognizing and reacting to early signs and symptoms.
“So many people excel at denial. I hear it from our patients every
day: they were sure the pain was something else, they’re too young
to have a heart attack, they didn’t want to call 911 needlessly,”
Roberts says. “Interestingly, several patients over the last few
months have said it was our advertising campaign that pushed them to seek
treatment for their symptoms.”
Valley Health also offers the Heart Attack Risk Program, a screening of
heart risk factors with counseling; and Family & Friends CPR Anytime,
which trains lay bystanders with hands-only CPR skills.
To learn more about heart attack signs and symptoms and Heart & Vascular
Services at Valley Health, visit
www.valleyhealthlink.com/heart.