March 02, 2008,
North Richland Hills, Texas
When it comes to
treating heart attack patients, North Richland
Hills has one of the fastest times in the
country.
Thanks to a
successful partnership between paramedics with
the North Richland Hills Fire Department and the
staff at North Hills Hospital, heart attack
patients are receiving life saving treatment in
nearly half the time when compared to the
national standard.
“When you are
suffering a heart attack, every second counts.
The faster blood flow is
restored to your heart, the less the heart
muscle will be damaged, and the better your
chances of survival,”
said Lt. Kyle McAfee, EMS Coordinator for the
NRH Fire Department. “We
are doing everything we can to make sure our
patients are treated in the fastest time
possible.”
Hospitals call it "door to balloon" time, which
refers to the number of minutes that
elapse between when a heart-attack patient
arrives at a hospital’s door and when the
patient’s blocked heart artery is reopened with
a balloon-tipped catheter. The national standard
set by the American College of Cardiology and
the American Heart Association is for “door to
balloon” time to be no more than 90 minutes. In
North Richland Hills the median time is 48
minutes, which far exceeds the national
standard.
New protocols and better communication between
paramedics and North Hills Hospital staff have
led to the improved times.
“In the past,
precious minutes were spent in the emergency
room while a physician confirmed the diagnosis
of a heart attack and then activated the
Cath Lab team,”
McAfee said. “Now one call from
a paramedic activates the
Cath Lab team so everyone is
waiting and available to begin treatment as soon
as the ambulance arrives. The
minutes that are saved could make the difference
between life and death.”
Officials with North Hills Hospital praise North
Richland Hills paramedics for their efforts to
make the process faster and more efficient.
"The level of
cooperation and teamwork between the North
Richland Hills paramedics and North Hills
Hospital is among the best in Tarrant County,”
said Dr. David Slife,
cardiologist at North Hills Hospital. “I work in
several different hospitals in the
metroplex, but I
find that the knowledge and skill of the North
Richland Hills emergency responders greatly
enhances our ability at the hospital to get our
patients to the Cardiac
Cath Lab quickly and to save lives."
Because of North
Hills Hospital’s commitment to providing the
most advanced heart attack treatment, the
hospital was the first in the nation to be
awarded “Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI
Designation” (also referred to as Cycle 2).
This is currently the highest level of
accreditation given by the Society for Chest
Pain Centers, the same organization that named
North Hills Hospital the first in North Texas to
receive their original accreditation (Cycle 1).
North Richland Hills
paramedics will continue to work as a team with
physicians and hospital leadership to ensure
patients receive the best care from the moment
the ambulance arrives until they leave the
hospital.
