LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- UofL Health-Mary & Elizabeth Hospital recently opened a new center that could save the lives of patients suffering an acute heart attack.
The new cardiac catherization lab will offer enhanced treatment for people suffering from a severe heat attack, also known as a STEMI (SegmenT Elevation Myocardial Infarction).
Severe heart attack patients require the quickest treatment because they can lose heart muscle. Doctors say in these types of situations "time saved, is muscle saved."
Now heart attack patients in south Louisville don't have to travel as far to get this life-saving treatment.
"The longer it takes to drive to get an intervention, the more heart muscle that you lose, and as I said it does not come back," said Melissa Adkins, chief administrative officer at the hospital. "You'll have a decrease in quality of life, and that's why it's so important at the onset of chest pain, that you go to the nearest hospital. We're so proud to be able to bring this to south Louisville."
This new technology will help EMS get doctors information before they even get the patient to the hospital, so the doctors can start working immediately.
"The additional cath lab, along with 24/7 STEMI coverage, will help our team provide lifesaving care faster than ever before," said Dr. Arun Ummat, medical director of cardiology at UofL Health-Mary & Elizabeth Hospital in a news release. "When an EKG comes to me on my cell phone, and I determine the patient is having an acute heart attack, all I have to do is press a button and the whole team is activated."
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