Southside Hospital Gets Award for Heart Attack Treatment from American Heart Association

Southside Hospital recently received the Mission: Lifeline Silver Receiving Quality Achievement Award for its quick treatment of patients who have suffered a severe heart attack.

ST elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs) are the most deadly type of heart attack; they are caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), more than 250,000 people experience one of these kinds of heart attacks each year. To achieve the best outcomes after a STEMI, blood flow needs to be restored quickly.

One way Southside has helped restore blood flow quickly is with the use of the LIFENET system, which allows pre-hospital medical care providers to communicate a heart attack patient’s condition quickly to physicians. The system lets the emergency medical services (EMS) workers in the field securely transmit information about the patient’s initial electrocardiography so the team can start preparing how they will treat the patient upon arrival at Southside. The hospital has been using the LIFENET system for about a year.

“It takes a dedicated team of people from many departments throughout the hospital who consistently adhere to best practices to achieve this designation and ultimately provide the best care for our patients,” said Donna Moravick, NP, executive director of Southside. “I appreciate our healthcare practitioners’ hard work and the cooperation and help of our emergency medical services colleagues.”

Southside Hospital earned this designation by meeting specific AHA standards of performance for the treatment of STEMI patients for 12 consecutive months. The hospital received the bronze award last year.

“We commend Southside Hospital for this achievement award, which reflects a significant institutional commitment to the highest quality of care for their heart attack patients,” said James G. Jollis, MD, Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Advisory Working Group. “Achieving this award means the hospital has met specific reporting and achievement measures for the treatment of their patients who suffer heart attacks and we applaud them for their commitment to quality and timely care.”