The Accreditation was announced March 4, 2009. Through the Chest Pain Accreditation process, Clark Memorial Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to quality cardiac and emergency care, with quick response time using a set of stringent treatment criteria. As a result, the hospital has met the nationally recognized standards to be accredited.
“This accreditation sets Clark Memorial Hospital apart,” said Martin Padgett, president and CEO of Clark Memorial Hospital. “The Society of Chest Pain Centers’ accreditation process ensures hospitals meet or exceed certain measures in acute cardiac medicine. The quality-of-care measures are reviewed through both an on-site evaluation by a review team from the Society and an application process that demonstrates the hospital’s abilities.”
In addition to achieving Chest Pain Accreditation, Clark Memorial Hospital is partnering with Jeffersonville officials and Yellow Ambulance to provide the technology needed to transmit a patient’s electrocardiogram (ECG) to the hospital while the patient is still in route with Yellow Ambulance. Clark Memorial Hospital is the only hospital in southern Indiana and one of three in the metro area to offer this capability.
“Transmitting a patient’s ECG to the hospital will allow emergency room physicians to diagnose a patient before he or she arrives,” said Padgett. “Medical studies conducted show that the early transmission of an ECG to the emergency room can save up to 12 minutes in treatment time of a heart attack. That translates to less damage to the heart and lives saved.”
Can 12 minutes really make a difference? Absolutely, because when an acute heart attack occurs, there is a limited amount of time before significant and long-lasting damage is done to the muscle of the heart. The sooner you get to the emergency department and receive appropriate treatment, the lesser the chances of permanent damage to your heart muscle.
The life-saving process begins when a patient who is experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath or unusual pain calls 911 and is picked up by Yellow Ambulance. The paramedic will assess the patient and perform a 12-lead ECG that will be transmitted from the ambulance to Clark Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department. The Emergency Department physician will read the ECG and identify if the patient is having a heart attack even before the patient arrives. This allows the Emergency Department Physician to activate the Cath Lab team prior to the patient even arriving, ensuring the patient’s treatment process is started even faster.
Why is all of this so important to our community? Because as a community, Clark County has more than 350 deaths per year caused by a heart attack or heart disease. Nationally there are more than five million visits to emergency departments each year associated with chest pain and more than 600,000 deaths annually due to heart disease.
One of the Society of Chest Pain Centers’ goals is that the hospital has demonstrated is to educate the community about the risks of heart disease and the importance of seeking help early.
“Our community needs to know the warning signs of a heart attack and what to do,” said Padgett. “If a person is having chest pain or demonstrating a warning sign, they need to call 911.”
Early education and prevention is also key to our community in the fight against heart disease. At any age people can begin making changes in their lives to lower their risk. Changes can be as simple as watching their fat intake when preparing and eating meals or getting 30 minutes of exercise each day.
“The lifestyle changes can also be more aggressive such as quitting smoking which affects more than just your heart,” said Padgett. “Smoking is the leading cause of most cancers, increases your risk for diabetes and is a major contributor to heart disease.”
To find out your personal risk for heart disease, visit www.clarkmemorial.org and click the HeartAware link. This free and fast assessment will provide you with individualized information about your level of risk for heart disease. Should you be considered at risk for heart disease, you will receive the opportunity to schedule a one-on-one appointment with a Heart Center nurse. During this free appointment you will receive a complete lipid profile including your blood sugar, body mass index, and free information on lifestyle changes that help in the fight against heart disease.
What is a Heart Attack?
A heart attack occurs, in most cases, when a vessel supplying the heart
muscle with blood and oxygen becomes completely blocked. The vessel has
become narrowed by a slow buildup of fatty deposits, made up mostly of
cholesterol. When a clot occurs in this narrowed vessel, it completely
blocks the supply of blood to the heart muscle. That part of the heart
muscle will begin to die if you do not seek immediate medical attention.
- Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body, which can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
- Shortness of breath, occurring with or before chest discomfort.
- Other symptoms may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness. Treatments are most effective when they occur in the early stages of chest pain.
- Pressure, fullness, squeezing pain in the center of the chest, spreading to the neck, shoulder or jaw pain
- Chest discomfort with light-headedness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath
- Upper abdominal pressure or discomfort
- Lower chest discomfort
- Back pain
- Unusual fatigue
- Unusual shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Nausea
*Information provided by the Society of Chest Pain Centers.
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