The Indiana Heart Attack Network (IHAN) is a cooperative effort between St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, The Care Group and hospitals from around the state to provide the highest quality heart care to patients. Regardless of where an individual may live in Indiana, every hospital emergency department has immediate access to a board-certified interventional cardiologist with The Care Group located in Indianapolis. This means that each hospital affiliated with IHAN is connected with St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana. Therefore, when a patient arrives at their local hospital emergency room with an ST elevated heart attack (STEMI), that hospital may call St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana to have their patient quickly and efficiently transported to our facility for the necessary acute MI care.
Why is this important?
If a patient is having a heart attack, specialty cardiovascular care helps increase the chances of surviving. IHAN was formed three years ago out of a growing concern for heart attack patients and their families coming from rural hospitals that may not have access to the higher level of cardiovascular tertiary care. There was a shared vision among physicians and administration to create a program to get patients to St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana's catherization lab within 90 minutes from the time the patient first arrives at their local emergency room.
Time is heart muscle and the sooner the cath lab team can open a blocked artery, the less damage will occur. Because St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana specializes in cardiac services, we are capable of providing assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at both of our locations. For best practices, it is crucial that the patient be transferred as soon as possible to a cardiac program such as St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana because most local hospitals have limited cardiac services and cath lab abilities.
It is through this initiative, physicians, nurses, medics and every Team Member can proactively work together to provide education as to what the Indiana Heart Attack Network is, share the treatment protocols on how to transfer a patient, and enhance coordination between these individuals and entities involved in emergency medical care of heart attack patients around the state.
For more information, please call 317-583-5356.
Why is this important?
If a patient is having a heart attack, specialty cardiovascular care helps increase the chances of surviving. IHAN was formed three years ago out of a growing concern for heart attack patients and their families coming from rural hospitals that may not have access to the higher level of cardiovascular tertiary care. There was a shared vision among physicians and administration to create a program to get patients to St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana's catherization lab within 90 minutes from the time the patient first arrives at their local emergency room.
Time is heart muscle and the sooner the cath lab team can open a blocked artery, the less damage will occur. Because St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana specializes in cardiac services, we are capable of providing assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at both of our locations. For best practices, it is crucial that the patient be transferred as soon as possible to a cardiac program such as St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana because most local hospitals have limited cardiac services and cath lab abilities.
It is through this initiative, physicians, nurses, medics and every Team Member can proactively work together to provide education as to what the Indiana Heart Attack Network is, share the treatment protocols on how to transfer a patient, and enhance coordination between these individuals and entities involved in emergency medical care of heart attack patients around the state.
For more information, please call 317-583-5356.
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