In the past few years cardiac care in Gillette has made a quantum leap.
Previously, heart attack patients were stabilized then transported to
another hospital at least two hours away. Today, a good share of heart
attacks can be treated right here with Campbell County Health (CCH). This
past June marked two busy years for the
Cardiac Catheterization Lab, and this service at Campbell County Health has saved more than 435 lives
in those two years!
With many heart attacks, patients call 911 to get help. All CCH ambulances
are equipped with 12 Lead EKG machines that remotely send test results
to doctors in the
Emergency Department. Those doctors can determine if a patient has indeed suffered a heart
attack and can send the test results to a
Cardiologist. Utilizing this technology saves precious time and heart tissue by activating
the Cardiologist and Cardiac Cath Lab team while the patient is still
in the ambulance. The Ambulance team can then bring the patient directly
to the cath lab for life-saving treatment.
A cath lab is where cardiologists like
Dr. Sairav Shah and
Dr. Nicholas Stamato quickly get to work and complete a catheterization procedure to assess
and resolve the blockage. Blocked arteries are usually opened by suctioning
out blood clots or placing a stent—a tubular support rod that keeps
the artery open, sometimes with the help of a balloon. The
American Heart Association set national “door to balloon” times at 90 minutes for best
outcomes; the national average is roughly 60 minutes. But here at CCH,
our average times are 52 minutes, with the shortest taking just 20 minutes!
(For those who don’t know, door to balloon time is calculated from
the time the patient arrives at the hospital to the opening of a blocked
cardiac artery in the Cath Lab.)
This is important: Don’t ignore any cardiac symptoms; ignoring symptoms
does not help you. Common heart attack symptoms often include chest pain or discomfort (pressure,
tightness, aching) in both women and men; however, in women heart attack
symptoms can be different and include:
- dizziness/light-headedness
- jaw pain
- discomfort or burning in the chest
- shortness of breath/racing heart
- flu-like symptoms, such as nausea
- tingling down one or both arms or legs
CCH wants to remind you that if you have any of these symptoms, to call
9-1-1 immediately.
About Our Cardiology Program
If you have heart issues or a family history of heart disease, we have
good news: Cardiology is part of the services full-time in Gillette. Our
highly skilled cardiologists at the Campbell County Medical Group Cardiology
clinic are here at all times to care for patients and our cardiac cath
lab allows us to provide care quickly during an emergency. And, we can
help get you back to your daily routine after a heart incident with our
Cardiac Rehabilitation program. To learn more about our Cardiology program,
please call the clinic at 307.688.3700 or visit
www.cchwyo.org/heart.