This article is from page 12 of the 2012-10-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
FROM 8pm this morning (Tuesday) the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick will begin providing 24/7 angiography services.
Up until now the “Centre of Excellence” for the mid-west could not provide proper diagnosis or treatment for a ST elevation MI (a specific type of heart attack) after 5pm or at weekends, forcing patients to travel to Galway for the life-saving treatment.
On average more than one very ill patient a week was forced to take this 100-kilometer journey to the University College Hospital Galway.
Following meetings with Professor Kieran Daly, national clinical lead of the ACS Programme, it was agreed that the Mid Western Regional Hos- pital Limerick could assume a 24/7 PPCI role as part of HSE West’s ACS programme on Tuesday, October 30, the HSE has confirmed.
A PPCI (Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) can only be carried out in a hospital equipped with an emergency catheter laboratory.
It diagnoses STEMI heart attacks by using 12 lead ECG machines and treated by clot busting drugs (thrombolysis) or by the insertion of wire into the artery to open it by using a balloon to allow the blood to flow to the heart muscle again.
A STEMI is a heart attack caused by a blockage in the arteries.
The ACS (Acute Coronary Syndrome) is a national clinical programme aimed at improving cardiac care throughout the country by providing patients with prompt access to higher level investigations and treatment such as cardiac catherisation (angiography), advanced radiology and critical care.
“International evidence has shown that PPCI is the most effective treatment for major heart attacks and most countries in the developed world have moved to this model of treatment. It is for this reason that we are striving to expand this service to the people of the mid-west,” said a spokesperson for the HSE.
He added, “Cardiology services in Limerick have expanded greatly in recent years with a fifth cardiologist recently appointed. The hospital has a 24/7 coronary care unit and a cardiologist on call round the clock. The coronary care unit and day cardiology services will shortly be moving to a new state of the art critical care block.”