The Bradley County Medical Center Emergency Department has received American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Referring Center and Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition, both at a Bronze level, for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.
Each year, about 285,000 people in the U.S. experience this type of heart attack, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. Nearly 40 percent of people who go to the emergency room with acute coronary syndrome are diagnosed with a STEMI. Like all heart attacks, this requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.
Recognition as a STEMI Referring Center is designed to showcase hospitals of every size on the front lines of care that do not have 24/7 cardiac catheterization lab availability but work in collaboration with emergency medical services to ensure patients receive guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care.
The Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for STEMI care as outlined by the American Heart Association.
“When someone experiences a STEMI heart attack, American Heart Association guidelines call for specific actions performed in the hospital in a consistent and timely fashion to prevent further myocardial damage and to save lives,” said Stephen Sigal, M.D., MS, FAHA, FACC, American Heart Association volunteer and medical director of interventional cardiology at Titus Regional Medical Center. “Where you live should not determine if you live, and rural communities deserve high-quality cardiac care. Bradley County Medical Center is recognized for consistently providing these patients with the care, guidance, and medical therapy they need to give them the best chance of survival.”
The STEMI Referring Center award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to getting patients the most up-to-date research-based care for STEMI as outlined by the American Heart Association.
The Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition award recognizes hospitals for their efforts toward STEMI care excellence demonstrated by composite score compliance to guideline-directed care, including timely electrocardiogram and transfer, aspirin administration, administration of thrombolytic therapy, receptor inhibitor and anticoagulant, and more.
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