Peninsula Regional Medical Center has again been named a Cardiac Intervention Center by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS). The award was first received April 1, 2011.
MIEMSS is the state agency responsible for coordinating Maryland’s emergency medical services (EMS) and has selected hospitals in Maryland that meet the requirements for state standards to receive patients transported by EMS who are experiencing the most common type of heart attack.
The most common type of heart attack is called an ST-elevation myocardial infarction or STEMI. A STEMI occurs when an artery that supplies blood to the heart is suddenly blocked. The most common symptoms of a heart attack are discomfort, pressure or pain in the center of the chest, pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea and lightheadedness. If any of these symptoms are present, EMS should be summoned immediately by calling 9-1-1.
It has been established that the sooner a heart attack patient is treated to relieve the blockage causing the STEMI, the better the heart muscle will recover resulting in fewer complications and better overall outcomes for patients. Because of Peninsula Regional’s advanced cardiac interventional capabilities, MIEMSS now designates that any patient suffering a heart attack in this region and being transported by ambulance must be brought to Peninsula Regional Medical Center for immediate, life-saving care.
“The entire team involved in the care to the STEMI patient is very proud having received this designation, upon which there were no violations of the standards set by the State of Maryland,” said Jeanne Ruff, Executive Director of the Guerrieri Heart & Vascular Institute. “This further validates the quality heart care provided to our community.”
The designation of Cardiac Interventional Centers and an integrated system of care for STEMI patients in Maryland is consistent with the recommendations made in 2007 by the American Heart Association (AHA). The AHA estimates approximately 400,000 patients experience a STEMI in the United States each year. In Maryland it is estimated that approximately 5,600 patients experience a STEMI and 50% or less call 9-1-1 and are transported by EMS to a designated medical facility.
Peninsula Regional Medical Center is the 10th largest Medical Center in the state of Maryland by bed count and provides a full scope of services that rival those offered in much larger metropolitan areas. It has received over 125 national awards, certifications and recognitions over the past five years for the safety and care it provides patients and the outcomes they experience.
At 275 acute care beds and 24 newborn beds, Peninsula Regional is the region’s largest, most advanced tertiary care facility, and has been meeting the healthcare needs of Delmarva Peninsula residents since 1897. Its 3,300 physicians, staff and volunteers provide safe, compassionate and affordable care designed to exceed the expectations of the nearly 500,000 patients who rely on the Medical Center team each year for inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, subacute and emergency/trauma services.
Since 1974, Peninsula Regional Medical Center has performed more than 113,000 cardiac catheterizations, over 12,000 bypasses, over 1,000,000 electrocardiograms, and about 140,000 other cardiac procedures. More than 30,000 electrophysiology procedures have been done since 1993.
To learn more about the services of the Guerrieri Heart & Vascular Institute at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, please call 410-543-7123 or 1-800-955-0202 or visit the Medical Center’s website at www.peninsula.org.
