New Cardiac Cath Lab Opens at Merit Health River Oaks Enhancing Local Access to Life-Saving Procedures
2/1/2020
Leadership at Merit Health River Oaks in Flowood recently announced the hospital has opened an interventional cardiac catheterization laboratory, a needed service in the community. Merit Health River Oaks is the first Mississippi hospital to gain approval to offer 24-hour interventional cardiac catheterization care without on-site cardiac surgical services. Prior to the opening of the lab, the hospital provided only diagnostic heart catheterizations. The addition allows the hospital to offer more clinically complex care to heart patients when time is of the essence. A few minutes can add up to make a great difference – in saving a life, and saving a heart.
During a ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a type of heart attack, time is incredibly important. A STEMI occurs when a clot interrupts blood flow to the heart. Merit Health River Oaks works with local emergency medical service providers to get patients to the ER and cath lab to facilitate timely opening of the artery.
The hospital’s interventional cardiologists are experienced in both radial (wrist) and femoral (groin) artery access for cardiac catheterization. Services available in the cardiac cath lab include interventional procedures for coronary artery disease, as well as interventional procedures for peripheral vascular disease.
“With the opening of the enhanced cath lab, our cardiologists can provide potentially life-saving care within the recognized critical window of time,” said hospital chief executive officer Dwayne Blaylock. “This new service in Rankin County may allow a patient to receive cardiac care quicker.”
The new area is staffed by an experienced cardiac catheterization team, including Dr. Almois Mohamad, interventional cardiologist; Dr. Nathan McIntosh, emergency medicine director and cath lab director M. M. Baumann, a registered nurse with 20 years of experience in cardiovascular patient care.
"Immediate access to the highest standard of cardiac care facilitates life-saving diagnosis and treatment for patients,” Dr. Mohamad noted. “Having the ability to diagnose and treat a blocked artery or other cardiac emergency on-site without having to transport the patient to another facility reduces the potential for damage and in many cases, can mean the difference between life and death.”
Merit River Oaks has begun using an alert system that allows emergency medical services to notify hospital staff of incoming cardiac emergency patients, said Dr. McIntosh. “This new system increases the gateways for across-the-board communications to insure patients receive immediate care in the event of a cardiac emergency,” he said. “Having this advance notice reduces the amount of time before an interventional procedure can be performed and the patient can be returned to optimal health.”
Timely medical attention is critical in the event of heart attack. Knowing the symptoms can help you or someone you love get to the emergency room sooner. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the five major symptoms of a heart attack are:
- Chest pain or discomfort;
- Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint;
- Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back;
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders;
- Shortness of breath.
Other symptoms of a heart attack could include unusual or unexplained tiredness and nausea or vomiting. Call 9-1-1 if you notice symptoms of a heart attack in yourself or someone you are with.
Members of the Cath Lab team at Merit Health River Oaks are: front row, Ashley McKee RT(R); Mary Kay Holliday, RN; Neil Knight, RN; Brooke Lawrence, RT(R) and Dr. Almois Mohamad, cath lab medical director and interventional cardiologist.
On the back row, Trey Hall, RN; Chelee Davis, RN; M.M. Baumann, BSN, RN, director, Cardiac Cath Lab; Jayson Potter, RT(R) and lead, and Lindsay Hof, RT(R).
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