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Early treatment of a heart attack:
- reduces the risk of death
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increases myocardial salvage
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reduces infarct size (amount of tissue that dies as a result of the sudden loss of its blood supply)
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improves electrical homogeneity, and
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decreases ventricular arrhythmias
If a person having a heart attack receives treatment within the first hour, one in four patients end up with no heart damage.
The Heart Attack Initiative is addressing time to treatment and quality follow-up through:
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A systematic and integrated approach to treatment for acute myocardial infarction
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Expanding the reach of early reperfusion programs to allow non-tertiary care centres and pre-hospital provider’s access to current technology and trained specialists that will improve outcomes
For patients, this may mean treatment in the pre-hospital setting, transfer to the rural care centre or transfer to the urban care center.
Background
The initiative is grounded in the strengths of existing programs in Edmonton - Vital Heart Response - and STEMI in Calgary. While each program is unique, both are based on collaboration and the recognition that success rates rise when acute care nurses, paramedics, emergency physicians, internists, and cardiologists work cooperatively. Both programs also recognize the importance of timely and early treatment. (Weaver et al. JAMA. 1993; 270:1211-1216, Taher et al., JACC)
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