Health Articles
Having Chest Pain? Suspect It Is a Heart Attack?
Recently, The Des Moines Register ran an article entitled, "Cardiac Strategy: Bypass Rural Hospitals," Below are responses from Dr. Sam Congello of the Mercy Heart Center and Dr. David Dennis of Franklin General Hospital and Franklin Medical Center:
If you are experiencing chest pain or suspect you are having a heart attack, you should always go to your nearest hospital.
In Mercy Health Network - North Iowa, when a patient is seen and evaluated by the family physician for myocardial infarction, the cardiologist is consulted immediately. Our cardiologists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We even have fax machines in our homes so we can evaluate patients and recommend treatment, whether it is angioplasty or thrombolytic (drug) treatment. This has been a standard in Mercy Health Network - North Iowa for ten years.
A recent study suggests that people with high risk of myocardial infarction would be better transferred to a heart center rather than be given local therapy. However, people who make general statements about the care available in rural hospitals are unfamiliar with the dedication and skills of the providers in our network. For the past eleven years, our heart patients have been evaluated by family physicians in the rural hospitals who consult with our cardiologists. Patients are transferred emergently to Mercy Heart Center if their condition warrants angioplasty or cardiac surgery. This is even easier to facilitate now with Mercy-North Iowa's helicopter and critical care transport.
The concept that good medical care cannot be found in rural hospitals
is untrue. For the past two years, Mercy Heart Center has been rated one
of the Top 100 heart centers in the country, which reflects the excellent
care that our patients receive in the rural hospitals as well as Mercy
Heart Center.
Mercy Heart Center has been performing primary infarction angioplasty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, since 1991, which is well ahead of the national trend. At Mercy Health Network - North Iowa we have taken great care to develop standard protocols for the treatment of heart and other conditions, which are reviewed annually and made available to health care providers, to ensure the highest quality and up-to-date care.
Samuel Congello, D.O.
Chairperson, Invasive Cardiology
Mercy Heart Center/Mason City Clinic
Director - Cardiac Cath Lab
Assistant Clinical Professor of Cardiology at Des Moines University
FGH/FMC's Dr. Dennis adds:
As Dr. Congello clearly states, it is usually best to diagnose and start initial treatment for a heart attack as soon as possible. That means calling 911 immediately if you experience chest pain that you think is a heart attack. We have a paramedic ambulance service so a paramedic trained in initial treatment of cardiac (heart) problems will be at your site within minutes.
At Franklin General Hospital we can determine whether you are having a heart attack, consult with the cardiologist and, almost immediately, start "clot busting" (thrombolytic) medications if indicated. Often these medications will open a blocked artery by the time transfer is made to the cardiologists, allowing the cardiologists more time to decide on their plan and, more importantly, saving heart muscle.
At this time I feel the evidence is still strong that the best action is to be taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital that routinely treats heart attack patients, as we do at FGH.
David Dennis, D.O.
Director, Franklin General Hospital
Emergency Room and Paramedical Services.