Los Robles Hospital unveils STEMI heart center

TRAUMA TEAM- Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center nurses, from left, Lynn Tadlock, emergency pre-hospital care coordinator; Diane Freeman, emergency services director; and Jan Olivas, cardiovascular product line director, helped lead a study to designate hospitals as STEMI centers throughout Ventura County.

Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center has a new distinction as the only designated STEMI center in east Ventura County.

STEMI is an acronym for ST elevated myocardial infarction, a severe form of heart attack which is recognized on an EKG by a pattern of ventricular time interval variations.

A nine-month, 100-case study conducted by Ventura County Emergency Medical Services found that using 12lead electrocardiograms to diagnose patients in cardiac distress would lead to improved survival rates.

According to Ventura County Medical Director Dr. Angelo Salvucci, MD, if 12-lead EKG tests by emergency personnel determine a patient is experiencing an STelevated heart attack, paramedics will take him to the closest STEMI center, a hospital with the cardiovascular experts and equipment necessary to diagnose and treat these attacks.

The more EKG leads that show ST segment changes after a heart attack, the larger the area involved. ST segment elevation can indicate a lack of blood supply to the full depth of the ventricle wall.

According to the American College of Cardiology, STEMI events, which make up about a third of all heart attacks, are suffered by half a million Americans a year and are associated with an increased risk of cardiac death. These attacks are usually caused by prolonged blockage of a coronary artery, leading to weakening of the heart muscle. Prompt, expert treatment is vital to surviving a STEMI attack.

"The time it takes from door to (cardiac catheterization) lab is critical," according to Lynn Tadlock, RN, Los Robles' prehospital care coordinator.

"We use the phrase 'time is muscle,'" Tadlock said. "The longer the patient's heart goes untreated, the more potential damage to the heart muscle."

While only 3 percent of patients suffering chest pain have this type of myocardial infarction, the study showed programs that immediately identify them using the 12-lead EKG and transport them to a STEMI center can prove instrumental in saving lives.