TIME IS MUSCLE

FREE PROSTATE SCREEN THIS FRIDAY AT CABELL HUNTINGTON HOSPITAL

Early detection and experience go hand in hand for a cure

       In an continuing effort to keep women aware of the dangers of heart disease, St. Mary's Regional Heart Institute is introducing the "Women's Heart Series." The monthly program will begin in September and continue through January 2008.

“Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States,” said Binnie Howard, director of St. Mary’s Regional Heart Institute. “Many women still believe that cancer is their biggest enemy. It is important that we take time to educate women about their risks and how to practice prevention.

 
Topics of discussion will include:
•     Women and Heart Disease – Signs and Symptoms
•     Women – Stress and Your Heart
•     Women – Exercise and Your Heart
•     Women – Nutrition and Your Heart
•     Panel Discussion – Women and Their Cardiac Experiences
“Women take better care of their families’ health than their own health. As the leading provider of cardiac care in our area, we want to make them aware of their risk,” she said.
 
      The series will also include coupons for participants to have their blood cholesterol checked and other giveaways.
      Registration for the series is required. To register, call (304) 526-6029. 
 
      Ninety minutes.
      That may be all it takes to save your life.
      A national initiative encouraging hospitals to treat patients in need of angioplasty within 90 minutes of arrival has taken hold at St. Mary's Medical Center, and the newly-implemented "Door to Balloon Team" is proof positive that "time is
muscle."
 
      The initiative, sometimes referred to as the National Heart Attack Alert Program, was created to, first, reduce morbidity and mortality from acute heart attacks through speedy assessment and treatment, and, second, to increase the potential for a better "quality of life" for patients and their families.
 
      "This is a national goal to get all acute heart attack patients' vessels opened within 90 minutes of arriving at St. Mary's doors. In order to do this, it took a commitment on our part to put several steps into place," said Binnie Howard, director of St. Mary's Regional Heart Institute.
 
      The "Door to Balloon Team" at St. Mary's relies on the EMS personnel in the field to identify potential heart patients quickly and send EKG reports to the hospital ahead of the patient's arrival.
 
      "We placed a receiving station in the hospital ER some time ago that the EMS or a transferring facility can send a patient's EKG to and it arrives directly to our ER physicians," Howard said. "If, in fact, it is an acute heart attack, we can be waiting in the cath lab, so when the person comes through the ER door, they bypass the ER and come directly to us."
 
      Because of this expedited identification process, at least one patient has reaped immediate benefits - treatment in fewer than 20 minutes. Another received care within 23 minutes.
 
      "It takes the EMS in the field getting that EKG, realizing that there is a significant problem and sending that ahead," Howard explained.
 
      In addition to the reliance on the EMS, Howard said the hospital administration played an integral role in the step-by-step process of treating a heart patient in fewer than 90 minutes.
 
      "We had to have the willingness and the understanding that the cath lab has to be available at any time of the day or night. Without that, we wouldn't be able to put this initiative into practice," she said. "It's pretty phenomenal when you see the difference that having that ability makes. It's truly a team effort."
 
      The national goal of the initiative is for 75 percent of all acute heart attacks to get their blocked artery ballooned within 90 minutes of arrival. St. Mary's statistics for the care of acute myocardial infarction have been consistently better than the national goal, with the majority of patients receiving care within the 90-minute window.
 
      "We may never reach 100 percent because some patients are unsure, some want to talk to their families, some don't recognize the symptoms early enough, but this system has worked very well for us and we're pleased that we've been able to implement these changes," Howard said.
 
      Of course, patients themselves play the largest role in the prediction of their own health. Recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack and seeking care at the onset of their symptoms betters their chance for recovery.
 
      "There's a saying that 'time is muscle.' That basically means that the quicker you get help, the more blood that goes to the muscle. More blood to the heart muscle saves the heart muscle. That's the whole goal of the program," Howard said.
 
      "Everybody gets heartburn, but it's taking an antacid and waiting that is really detrimental to these patients. The quicker you get help, the more quickly we can open that blocked vessel and the rate of mortality can be greatly reduced."
 
      Signs and symptoms of heart disease differ by gender. For men, Howard said, they present like a textbook case - intense chest pain that won't go away, pain that goes away and comes back just as strongly, sweating, nausea and upset stomach. Women are quicker to dismiss their pains as something else.
 
      "A woman seldom complains of chest pain. More often, they'll talk about discomfort, pain in their neck and jaw, a flu-like feeling, weakness, a racing heart," Howard said.
      "Everybody knows their body. If there's a discomfort there that you haven't felt before, call 911."
 
      For residents of the Tri-State, disease of the cardiovascular system is not something to be taken lightly.
 
      "We're leaders in all the categories we don't want - cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and so forth, and we're working hard to change that," Howard said.
 
      Prevention is key. Through education programs at St. Mary's, healthcare professionals are seeking to reach heart patients before they become patients - taking their message into grade schools, as well as providing education opportunities for the public.
 
      "The biggest things people can do are to stop smoking and start exercising. Simply walking in the park to get your heart rate up is good for your cardiovascular system. Manage your stress - learn to walk away from things. Eat right. Examine your diet. If you have high blood pressure or diabetes, take your prescribed medications," Howard said. "You can't control your gender, your age or your heredity, but you can take a more active role in your health."