NMMC Receives AHA EMS Recognition Award

Receiving the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver Award for treatment of STEMI patients are North Mississippi Medical Center representatives (from left) John Goldman, John Ainsworth, Brian Sisk, Andy Houston, Tim Pless, Mary Ann Sanderson, Dr. Joe Johnsey, Randy Martin and Barry Kelly.

TUPELO, Miss. (Press Release) — North Mississippi Medical Center recently received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver Award for specific quality improvement measures to treat patients who suffer a severe heart attack known as a STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction).

Every year, almost 300,000 people experience a STEMI, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

Mission: Lifeline seeks to save lives by closing the gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. Mission: Lifeline’s new EMS recognition program recognizes those emergency responders for their efforts in improving STEMI systems of care and improving the quality of life for these patients.

Agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline Silver Award have demonstrated at least 75 percent compliance for each required achievement measure for the entire year, and treat at least eight STEMI patients for the year.

According to 2013 data, NMMC ambulance staff performed 12-lead EKGs on 756 adult patients suffering from non-traumatic chest pain. 27 patients were found to be suffering from a STEMI heart attack. 25 of these 27 patients (or 93 percent) had reperfusion (restored blood flow) in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in 90 minutes or less. The American Heart Association recommends a First Medical Contact (emergency medical services arrival at the patient’s side) time of 90 minutes or less. NMMC’s average time from ambulance arrival to reperfusion in the Cath Lab was only 73 minutes.

“We commend North Mississippi Medical Center for this achievement award, which reflects a significant commitment to improve the quality of care for heart attack patients,” said A. Gray Ellrodt, M.D., chair of the Mission: Lifeline committee and chief of medicine at the Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass. “All too many heart attack patients in the United States still fail to receive appropriate treatment for their life-threatening condition within the recommended timeframes. We must all continue this important work to streamline and coordinate regional systems of care to save lives and prevent complications.”