Baptist Health Paducah earns fifth consecutive Chest Pain Center re-accreditation

Baptist Health Paducah has once again been recognized for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating chest pain patients.

Baptist Health Paducah has once again been recognized for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating chest pain patients.

 

The chest pain center at Baptist Health Paducah was recently re-accredited for the fifth consecutive cycle, as a Version 5 full Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) from the American College of Cardiology. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty, is a non-surgical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries with a balloon to relieve symptoms of heart disease or reduce heart damage during or after a heart attack.

 

Baptist Health Paducah became the region’s first accredited chest pain center in 2008 and has maintained high standards for re-accreditation four times since then. The three-year accreditation is based on rigorous evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. Baptist Health Paducah has traditionally set the bar in heart care since offering the first open heart surgery here in 1985.

 

“The hospital staff has worked very hard to continue the highest standard of care for our heart attack patients,” said Amy Osbron, RN, BSN, Baptist Health Chest Pain and STEMI coordinator. “It has taken collaboration with medical providers, nurses, EMS, pharmacy, transferring facilities and many more hospital staff to achieve this award and to maintain our excellent heart care for our community.”

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 730,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. The most common symptom of a heart attack for both men and women is chest pain or discomfort. However, women are more likely to have atypical symptoms. Other heart attack symptoms include, but are not limited to, tingling or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck or jaw, shortness of breath, cold sweat, unusual tiredness, heartburn-like feeling, nausea or vomiting, sudden dizziness and fainting.

 

Baptist Health Paducah has proven exceptional competency in treating patients with heart attack symptoms and has cardiac catheterization lab available 24/7 every day of the year in addition to 24/7 cardiothoracic surgery backup.

 

The goal of Baptist Health Paducah and the ACC is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time that it takes to receive treatment and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment. Improved methods and strategies of caring for patients include streamlining processes, implementing of guidelines and standards, and adopting best practices in the care of patients experiencing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.

Baptist Health Paducah works with EMS agencies throughout the region to transmit EKGs from the ambulance to the Emergency department. “Our goal is to quickly get the patient information from EMS,” Osbron said. “This allows EMS to bypass the Emergency department and bring patients with heart attack symptoms from the ambulance directly into the cath lab to start treatment as quickly as possible.”