DOHA: Faced with a high prevalence of heart attacks in Qatar, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) yesterday launched a new procedure to provide faster care for heart attack patients.
The Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) is carried out as an emergency by interventional cardiologist and has been shown to be the best possible treatment for very serious heart attack patients and needs to be done as soon as possible after a heart attack takes place.
The PPCI, also known as a coronary angioplasty, is carried out by cardiac catheterisation and without the need for surgery. It is used to treat narrowed or blocked arteries of the heart, usually formed due to the buildup of cholesterol.
This is a huge advantage for Qatar, being the first nationwide program in the region, and one of the first worldwide, HMC said yesterday.
The 24/7 service is linked with a trans-satellite telemetry system in the HMC ambulances which provides the cardiologists in the Heart Hospital with real-time 12 lead electrocardiogram and other vital information that indicates whether a patient would benefit from the Primary PCI procedure.
This means the Heart Hospital team is able to be prepared at theatre for the patients’ arrival, saving precious time in these critical cases.
Once the paramedic crew record and transmit the patient’s Electrocardiograph (ECG) from the scene to the Heart Hospital using the Telemetry System installed on the LifePack 15 machines, it is transmitted to the Heart Hospital staff who make the decision whether or not an emergency angioplasty would be beneficial for the patient. If required, the cardiac catheterization suit is prepared immediately so the patient is provided with the safest and most effective care upon arrival.
Dr A A Gehani, Chairman of Cardiology at the Heart Hospital said, “Time is a very crucial aspect of our work. We often find patients suffer heart attacks in the early hours of the morning and we wanted to make sure we were able to support them with this emergency procedure, if it would be of benefit to them, as soon as possible.
“When we receive the patient’s ECG we make the decision based on the reading whether the patient needs to come to the Emergency Department or should be transferred directly to the cardiac catheterization suite. This is one of the first national services in the world; coordinated by the heart hospital, whereas more often than not there are regional variations in other countries, depending on resource available.”
He said, it is important to understand that the PPCI procedure is not suitable or needed for all patients. The assessment made by the Critical Care Paramedics in coordination with the cardiologists in the Heart Hospital carefully assess each case and the ECG reading which will enable the right decision to be made as to whether a patient will benefit from the procedure or not.
Magdi Yacoub, Executive Director of Qatar Cardiovascular Research Centre (QCRC) said “ Like much of the Middle East region, Qatar suffers from high and increasing rates of Heart Attack, so this important program will be of real benefit to patients, both now, and through its research programme, in the future.”
The programme has a research aspect carried out by the Heart Hospital in conjunction with QCRC and Qatar Foundation. The Peninsula
