DCH receives STEMI Award

 

What does door to balloon time mean? According to Healthcare Research, it is the amount of time between a heart attack patient’s arrival at the hospital to the time he/she receives percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), such as angioplasty.

 

A STEMI occurs when an artery that supplies blood to the heart is suddenly blocked. The longer a blockage exists, the harder it is to preserve the heart muscle. As soon as the condition has been diagnosed, treatment should start with clearing the blockage to restore blood flow. 

 

Lori Josefczyk, Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department said, “As an Emergency Department we were very pleased to receive back to back monthly recognitions for our hard work in the expedient transfer of two acute myocardial infarction patients to the Summa Health System. We were able to assist these patients with meeting the National Standards of Care for the AMI patient of Door to Balloon Time of 80 minutes or less.”

Emergency Department Director, Dr. Ross Campensa, stated “The main treatment for a specific type of heart attack called a STEMI is emergent cardiac catheterization to open the blocked coronary artery. Such emergent diagnosis, stabilization, and expeditious transfer to the cardiac catheterization lab is of paramount importance for survival. I’m extremely pleased to note that our facility as a local community resource was not only able to assist such patients but also was able to achieve the level of recognition awards two months in a row, an award previously not reached by other transferring facilities.”

 

This is a well deserved award for the staff and shows the dedication of providing excellent care and customer service to patients. It takes a dedicated team comprised of skilled and passionate professionals to achieve this type of award.