Dr. Gabbe talks about our STEMI program and the unique service it offers here at Ohio State.
Hi! On any given day in the hospital, you may hear the overhead page of STEMI alert. For those involved in the care of patients with heart disease, this is an important message while for others, it may not mean too much right now, but it will by the time this blog ends. Our regional STEMI program is a unique service that is offered only at Ohio State – and it’s something we should all know about and be very proud of.
A STEMI refers to a certain segment of the EKG pattern—the “ST” segment—being elevated in a patient with a myocardial infarction. In these heart attack victims with a STEMI, an artery that supplies blood to the heart muscle is completely blocked. This obstruction happens in a matter of minutes. For these patients with a STEMI, the faster we open the blood vessel, the less the heart muscle is damaged and the better the outcome.
Our program includes a multidisciplinary, alert team led by Dr. Ernie Mazzaferri, Jr. the team is available around the clock for immediate patient care. The goal is to provide treatment to cardiac patients in less than 60 minutes from arrival as compared to the 90 minute national standard.
As part of the new protocol to treat STEMI patients, emergency medical personnel transporting patients to OSU Medical Center are authorized to bypass the normal triage process in the emergency department. By taking the patient directly to the Ross’ cardiac cath lab, a waiting team of medical specialists can begin treatment immediately. The STEMI program also partners with MedFlight to assure rapid transport by air when needed.
In September, we received a letter from a retired Naval Officer thanking the staff of the STEMI program for care he received while visiting our campus for the Ohio State - Navy football game, and I’d like to read part of the letter to you.
“A week ago, you and your outstanding medical team at the cath lab saved my life after I experienced a very serious heart attack at the OSU-Navy football game. Obviously this is an experience I will never forget and for which I will forever remain grateful to you and your team for your wonderful care, concern and continuous follow-up at the Ross Heart Hospital. I also want to single out the truly caring, professional and enthusiastic nurses, PCAs and doctors who saw, cared for and treated me during the three days I spent in Ross. It was refreshing to see such positive attitudes, expertise and people who indeed look forward to coming to work each day. I heard no gripes or complaints and I freely engaged all in some lengthy conversations about work, football, living in Columbus, and where they were from, and why they went into medicine, etc. More credit to you, your overall team and to the Ross.”
This patient’s experience highlights not only the outcomes of our STEMI program but the impact we can have on individual lives through the care we provide. This month, the staff of the Medical Center's STEMI program wants people to be aware of the warning signs of a heart attack, so they've created a special video. According to the American Heart Association, more than 100,000 people have a heart attack every month. That’s enough people to fill Ohio Stadium once a month for an entire year.
I want to show you the video that has been created. You’ll recognize the setting as our own Ohio Stadium, and you may have even seen this video on the screen in the stadium before football games in the last few weeks.
As with many things here at Ohio State, we are aiming big with this awareness campaign- The goal is to have 105,000 people watch the video before the end of November, and we can all help reach that goal. You can share the video with friends and family by emailing the video link on the homepage of OneSource. You also can post messages and links on Twitter or post an update with the video link on your own Facebook page.
We can all be part of spreading this important message and telling our community about the excellent care we provide for all patients with heart disease here at the Medical Center. Remember our cardiology program is the only one in Central Ohio recognized for excellence by US News and World Report.
Take some time to pass this information on in the next few days, and as always have a great week.