While our team at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) has been busy responding to the many changes that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to implementing new models of care and different ways to deliver care to improve patient outcomes has remained steadfast.
Through advancements in cardiac care and incredible partnerships we have developed, earlier in May Muskoka joined the Simcoe Muskoka Code STEMI Protocol. ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is a very serious type of heart attack during which one of the heart’s major arteries is blocked. Using Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI, formerly known as angioplasty with stent), a catheter is used to place a balloon and stent to open up blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup. It is a non-surgical procedure that can be facilitated in the Cardiac Intervention Unit at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH). This protocol partnership with RVH provides a direct line to interventionist cardiologists and the gold standard of care where a patient receives advanced cardiac care in less than 120 minutes from first medical contact.
This means
that some Muskoka residents with heart attack symptoms may now be transported
by Muskoka Paramedic Services directly to RVH in Barrie for their lifesaving
treatment. Paramedics have the cardiac monitoring equipment and the clinical expertise
and training to quickly and accurately identify elevations in the heart rhythm,
and more specifically a STEMI. That is why it’s so important to call 9-1-1 if
you experience symptoms of a heart event like chest discomfort, sweating, neck
and jaw discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea and light-headedness. The
ambulance will bypass our hospitals and go straight to RVH. Time is heart and
the sooner a blockage can be opened, the less damage to cells in the heart
muscle.
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| Code STEMI simulations with nurses, doctors and paramedics were held at both sites in preparation for the new protocol. |
MAHC is also participating in the protocol for patients who present to our Emergency Departments with symptoms. One week after the protocol went live in Muskoka, three patients presenting at each of our sites received cardiac care through the STEMI protocol, and a further patient bypassed our two sites altogether and went straight to RVH through local EMS.
Dr. Megan Stephenson, a longtime Emergency physician in Huntsville, says it’s exciting to be a part of the joint initiative of Muskoka hospitals, RVH’s Interventional Cardiology program and Muskoka Paramedic Services to bring state-of-the-art cardiac care to the community’s doorstep.
“For heart attack patients who meet the criteria, cardiac catheterization can
be performed at RVH in a timely fashion to reduce morbidity and mortality,” explains
Dr. Stephenson. “Our first patient encounter on Tuesday, May 11, demonstrated a
true collaboration among nurses, paramedics, ward clerks and physicians to
expedite the care of a heart attack patient.”
Dr. William
Hemens has been an emergency medicine physician in Bracebridge for 35 years and
was on shift at the South Muskoka site when two patients presented the morning
of May 11. As a clinician, he is pleased at how cardiac care has developed over
time, and proud as a local resident to have access to advanced cardiac services
in the region. He praised the partnerships that have conquered geography and
distance to achieve a streamlined protocol that supports timely care.
“This
protocol is so important to facilitating the patient’s coronary intervention to
return proper blood flow to the heart muscle to diminish the potential damage
of a heart attack faster than before, which is so reassuring for our
communities” says Dr. Hemens. “It’s also important for communities to support
hospitals in achieving these advancements by donating to the equipment and
facilities that allow for these services to grow and develop. It’s because of
donors that health care providers can deliver state-of-the-art care.”
This is a
positive and progressive change that provides access to care that residents of
Muskoka deserve and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of it!
