LAKE SAINT LOUIS – Starting Monday, April 4, heart attack patients in Western St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties will have life-saving treatment closer to home. The SSM Heart Institute at St. Joseph Hospital West will begin providing emergency angioplasty and stent placement procedures 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This will decrease the patient’s travel time during an acute heart attack – 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 angioplasty in less than 90 minutes from the time of arrival at the hospital. SSM Heart Institute locations consistently open heart attack patients’ blocked arteries in less than 90 minutes of arrival – the nationally recognized gold standard of care.
“In the cardiac business, time is muscle,” said Elie Azrak, MD, cardiologist and medical director of the St. Joseph Hospital West cardiac catheterization lab. “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 cath lab can vary widely, from those experiencing early symptoms of heart disease up to those in the middle of a major heart attack. The availability of interventional heart care nearby is especially important when treating STEMI heart attacks (ST elevation myocardial infarction), a particular kind of attack considered to be the most severe. Without quick intervention, the heart muscle begins to quickly die.
Angioplasty is a minimally invasive technique used to reopen coronary arteries that have become blocked due to 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 vessel in the heart. The balloon is expanded to open the narrowing and blood flow is returned to the heart muscle. In most cases, a tiny stent is left inside the vessel to help keep it open.
In the event that a patient has such complex blockage that heart bypass surgery is needed, the cardiac cath lab staff coordinates with heart surgeon Stephen D’Orazio, MD, and his team at SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles. The heart surgery program at St. Joseph Health Center is the only such program in St. Charles County.
Most patients with heart attack symptoms enter the hospital through the St. Joseph Hospital West emergency department, which houses an accredited chest pain center. This center focuses on the quick assessment and treatment of patients with possible heart attack symptoms, which may include:
- chest pain or pressure
- discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat or arm
- weakness, anxiety or shortness of breath
- sweating, nausea, vomiting or dizziness
- rapid or irregular heartbeats
If you or a loved one experiences symptoms of a heart attack, call 911.