CODE STEMI Heart Attack Care
Parma Hospital’s heart attack care is second to none in its speed and efficiency. The Code STEMI system has resulted in a dramatic improvement in door-to-balloon times that beats national and local expectations. While nationally 84.3 percent of these heart attack patients are treated within 90 minutes of arrival, according to guidelines of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association, 95.5 percent of Parma Hospital patients received such prompt care through 2011.
Emergency Department (ED) physicians can trigger a Code STEMI alert when patients present with elevated ST levels, segments that indicate a heart attack is in progress. Broadcast by the Hospital operator and communicated by pager, the alert activates a specialized multidisciplinary team that assists the ED in rushing the patient to the Cath Lab. The team consists of physicians, nurses and technicians from ED, Cardiac Cath Lab, Cardiology, The Heart Center, Respiratory Therapy and the Lab.
EMS is a key element of the team approach. The Emergency Medical Services of the hospital’s six founding communities – Parma, Parma Heights, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Seven Hills and North Royalton – are equipped with 12-lead EKG machines and the ability to transmit readings electronically to the Hospital. This provides the ED physician with critical information necessary to alert the Cath Lab that a Code STEMI patient is en route.