LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MO – Starting Monday, April 4, heart attack patients in Western St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties will have life-saving treatment close to home. The SSM Heart Institute at St. Joseph Hospital West will begin providing lifesaving emergency angioplasty and stent placement procedures 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This will decrease the patient’s travel time – saving valuable minutes and heart muscle.
Every minute counts during a heart attack. For every 15 minutes that passes before angioplasty, an estimated six of 1,000 heart attack patients die. Unfortunately, less than 15 percent of U.S. hospitals consistently perform emergent PCI in less than 90 minutes from the time of presentation. Every SSM Heart Institute location surpasses the national averages by consistently opening heart attack patients’ blocked arteries in less than 90 minutes of arrival.
“In the cardiac business, time is muscle,” said Elie Azrak, MD, St. Joseph Hospital West cath lab medical director. “Seeing an experienced team of professionals fast can make the difference. Our team of cardiologists is among the region’s busiest and most experienced, and our nursing staff has five or more years of cardiac cath lab experience.”
The condition of patients entering a cardiac catheterization lab can vary widely, from those experiencing early symptoms of heart disease up to those in the middle of a major heart attack. Our team of 10 interventional cardiologists and our cardiac catherization staff are prepared to respond quickly to STEMI heart attacks (ST elevation myocardial infarction), a particular kind of attack, considered to be the most severe, caused by a clot in one or more of the coronary arteries.
Emergent percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as angioplasty, is commonly used to treat STEMI patients. It is a minimally invasive technique used to treat patients with diseased coronary arteries caused by a buildup of plaque and cholesterol. During the procedure, a catheter is threaded through the body, typically from an artery in the groin to a blocked or occluded vessel in the heart. The occlusion is removed and a stent is often inserted to maintain flow within the blood vessel.
About SSM Heart Institute
SSM Heart Institute is the region’s most experienced provider of comprehensive heart care. A team of more than 100 skilled cardiologists, electrophysiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons provides the most advanced treatments, leading-edge techniques and unparalleled experience for the best clinical outcomes. Combined with expert nursing and technical staff, this team offers a full range of services to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease. SSM Heart Institute services are available at five locations across the St. Louis area: DePaul Health Center, St. Clare Health Center, St. Joseph Health Center, St. Joseph Hospital West and St. Mary’s Health Center.
About SSM St. Joseph Hospital West
SSM St. Joseph Hospital West is a two time recipient of the Missouri Quality award in 2005 and 2010. Serving the communities of western St. Charles, Warren and Lincoln counties, SSM St. Joseph Hospital West is a 127-bed, full-service hospital with distinctive capabilities in cancer treatment, orthopedics, cardiovascular services, neurology, imaging, pain care and sleep treatments. SSM St. Joseph Hospital West offers the only trauma center serving our area and is an accredited Chest Pain Center. SSM St. Joseph Hospital West currently has over 800 employees and 300 physicians. In 2010, SSM Health Care – St. Louis was named a “Best Place to Work” by Modern Health Care Magazine and the St. Louis Business Journal. To learn more, visit www.ssmhealth.com/hospitalwest.
For media inquires, contact:
Jenny Gobble
PR and Marketing Manager
SSM St. Joseph Hospital West
636-625-5429 (office)
314-908-0015 (pager)
jenny_gobble@ssmhc.com