Cardiac & Heart Attack

In the subsequent year, 2021, our team continued to rise to the challenge, handling 42 cases of STEMI within our hospital and an impressive 28 transferred cases. This increase in transferred cases demonstrates the trust placed in our team by neighboring healthcare facilities seeking our expertise in managing critical cardiac emergencies.

Building on our achievements, 2022 proved to be a banner year for our STEMI team, as we efficiently addressed 58 cases of STEMI within our hospital and extended our expertise to 31 transferred cases. This growth showcases our team’s continual commitment to advancing and improving our capabilities in providing life-saving interventions.

As we move forward, our STEMI team remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of cardiac care, embracing innovation, and delivering compassionate, patient-centered services. We take pride in our accomplishments and look forward to furthering our impact on cardiac health in the coming years. Together, we stand united in our mission to provide the highest standard of care for every patient who entrusts us with their cardiovascular well-being.

What happens during cardiac catheterization?

A doctor with special training performs the procedure with a team of nurses and technicians. The procedure is done in a cardiac catheterization (cath lab) at a hospital or medical clinic.

• • Before the cath procedure, a nurse will put an IV (intravenous) line into a vein in your arm so you can get medicine (sedative) to help you relax, but you’ll be awake and able to follow instructions during the procedure.
• • The nurse will clean and shave the area where the doctor will be working. This is usually in the forearm or groin area.
• • The doctor will make a needle puncture through your skin and into a large blood vessel. A small straw-sized tube (called a sheath) will be inserted into the vessel. The doctor will gently guide a catheter (a long, thin tube) into your vessel through the sheath. A video screen will show the position of the catheter as it is threaded through the major blood vessels and to the heart. You may feel some pressure in your arm or groin, but you shouldn’t feel any pain.
• • Various instruments may be placed at the tip of the catheter. They include instruments to measure the pressure of blood in each heart chamber and in blood vessels connected to the heart, view the interior of blood vessels, take blood samples from different parts of the heart, or remove a tissue sample from inside the heart.
• • When a catheter is used to inject a dye that can be seen on X-rays, the procedure is called angiography.
• • When a catheter is used to clear a narrowed or blocked artery, the procedure is called angioplasty or a percutaneous coronary intervention.
• • When a catheter is used to widen a narrowed heart valve opening, the procedure is called valvuloplasty.
• • The doctor will remove the catheters and the sheath. Your nurse will put pressure on the site to prevent bleeding. Sometimes a special closure device is used.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Our Cardiac Rehab Team provides a medically supervised program designed to improve your heart health after heart problems or surgery.

You may be eligible for this service if you have had a:

• • Heart attack in the last 12 months
• • Heart condition such as stable angina or heart failure
• • Heart procedure(s) or surgery such as:
  • ◦ Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery
  • ◦ Angioplasty and stenting
  • ◦ Heart valve repair or replacement

Cardiac Rehab is delivered in a group setting with other heart patients with heart related conditions.  With the oversight of healthcare professionals, you receive monitored exercise to strengthen the heart and to improve cardiac endurance.  Information and education is provided during each session to assist you in managing modifiable risk factors such as:  diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol.

• Don’t do illegal drugs such as

• ◦ Methamphetamine- can increase heart rate and blood pressure and reduce your heart’s overall function.
• ◦ Cocaine- can cause high blood pressure, thickening of your cardiac arteries, and thickness of the heart’s left ventricle.

• Manage your risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and high cholesterol.

• Take your prescribed medication(s) and don’t stop unless talking to your health care provider.

• Treat your high blood pressure, if you have it, according to your health care professional’s recommendations.

• Eat a heart-healthy diet that’s low in saturated and trans fats, sodium (salt) and added sugars.

• Drink in moderation.

• ◦ Drinking too much alcohol can raise your triglycerides.
• ◦ Excessive drinking can lead to high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias.

Cardiac Medications

• • Anticoagulant: Used to treat certain blood vessel, heart and lung conditions.
• • Antiplatelet agent: Keeps blood clots from forming by preventing blood platelets from sticking together.
• • Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor: Expands blood vessels and decreases resistance by lowering levels of angiotensin II. Allows blood to flow more easily and makes the heart’s work easier or more efficient.
• • Angiotensin II receptor blocker: Rather than lowering levels of angiotensin II (as ACE inhibitors do) angiotensin II receptor blockers prevent this chemical from having any effects on the heart and blood vessels. This keeps blood pressure from rising.
• • Beta blocker: Decreases the heart rate and cardiac output, which lowers blood pressure and makes the heart beat more slowly, with less force.
• • Combined alpha and beta blocker: Combined alpha and beta blockers are used as an IV drip for those patients experiencing a hypertensive crisis. They may be prescribed for outpatient high blood pressure use if the patient is at risk for heart failure.
• • Calcium channel blocker: Interrupts the movement of calcium into the cells of the heart and blood vessels. May decrease the heart’s pumping strength and relax the blood vessels.
• • Cholesterol-lowering medications: Various medications can lower blood cholesterol levels, but statins are the best first course of action. When statins prove ineffective, or if a patient experiences serious side effects from statin therapy, other drugs may be recommended.
• • Diuretics: Cause the body to rid itself of excess fluids and sodium through urination. Help to relieve the heart’s workload. Diuretics also decrease the buildup of fluid in the lungs and other parts of the body, such as the ankles and legs. Different diuretics remove fluid at varied rates and through different methods.