Matters of the Heart
Admittedly, there are times when terminology gets lost in translation in matters of medical care. Medical terms, acronyms, types of specialists, lab tests, procedures – and to compound confusion, the metric system – can make a clinical explanation hard to understand. Until you or a loved one experiences the condition or the care, you ask Google for help.
When it comes to matters of the heart, and we all need ours to beat well, here’s some insight and clarification on what happens to a heart attack patient in the hospital.
A heart attack
Symptoms of a heart attack can begin more than a month in advance of the actual event. A cold sweat, nausea, and chest pain that is tightening or squeezing are signs of a heart attack. If you have these symptoms, acting cautiously and getting to the nearest emergency department is wise.
If you are having a heart attack, here is an example of a possible course of action for a potentially fatal type of heart attack, a STEMI.
The acronym STEMI comes from the heart test results of an electrocardiogram (EKG), a quick test to record the electrical signals in the heart. ST represents a segment elevation on the EKG that indicates a total blockage of the involved coronary artery and that the heart muscle is currently dying. MI stands for myocardial infarction – heart attack. Simply put, the test shows that a major artery feeding into the heart muscle is blocked. That’s serious.
Treatment for a STEMI needs to begin as soon as possible. The “golden hour” for a heart attack means “as soon as possible.” The faster a patient can get treatment, the higher the chance of survival and with less heart muscle damage.
Once a patient arrives at the emergency department, an EKG is done immediately to determine if there is a STEMI. When a STEMI is recognized, the patient is rushed to the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab. In the cath lab, a balloon is inserted to open the blocked artery, making way for a stent to hold open the artery walls. The time it takes to do this is called “door-to-balloon.”
All hospitals monitor the door-to-balloon time, striving to reach the guideline of within 90 minutes. In 2023, Firelands Regional Medical Center treated 100% of the patients with STEMIs within the guidelines, and the median time was 50.6 minutes, well within the “golden hour.”
“We are committed to providing fast, high-quality heart care. The experienced team of physicians, nurses and staff work tirelessly to provide life-saving patient care,” said W. Scott Sheldon, D.O., interventional cardiologist, UH North Ohio Heart. “The door-to-balloon time statistic is just one of many testaments to the collaboration and dedication of Firelands Health team members.”
Cath lab
The cath lab is a specialized area in the hospital that is staffed by a team of specialists and led by a cardiologist. The cath lab is for more than STEMIs. Doctors perform minimally invasive tests and advanced cardiac procedures to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease.
The cardiac catheterization procedure involves threading a long, thin tube, called a catheter, through an artery or vein in the leg or arm and into the heart. Sometimes, a cardiac catheterization, also known as an angiogram, is performed as a diagnostic tool to check for blockages if your physician suspects you may have coronary artery disease.
The Firelands Regional Medical Center Cardiac Cath Lab uses state-of-the-art imaging technology to view the arteries and check how well blood flows to and from the heart. The care team uses this information to help diagnose and treat blockages and other problems in the arteries, often without patients needing surgery.
Our cardiologists offer a complete range of heart care services, including:
• Surgical procedures, including cardioverter-defibrillator implantation
• Full-service cardiac catheterization lab with interventions
• Diagnostic testing, including EKG, cardiac stress testing, tilt table testing, echocardiography, Holter and event
monitors, defibrillator and pacemaker management clinic
• Treatment of heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, angina, heart attack, congestive heart failure and more
• Cholesterol clinic
• Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation
• Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA)
• Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL)
Cardiac rehab
After a heart event or procedure, patients can go to cardiac rehabilitation (rehab), a 36-session outpatient program that helps them mentally and physically return to vocational and social roles. With a referral from their physician, the cardiac rehab team provides a personalized, gradual program that is reviewed monthly by a cardiologist.
We have heart
Linda Njoroge, M.D., FACC, and George Augustine Koromia, M.D., FACC, joined Firelands Physician Group and opened a cardiology office, working in tandem with the cardiologists at UH North Ohio Heart.
“We are fortunate to have this husband and wife team of cardiologists come to Firelands Physician Group,” said Firelands’ Chief Medical Officer Scott Campbell, M.D. “They bring highly-specialized cardiac care to the community that pairs perfectly with our partner physicians at UH North Ohio Heart.”
Visit firelands.com/wehaveheart for more information about cardiac care.
