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Lifesaving Angioplasty Now Available
From To Your Health, MidMichigan Health, September/October 2005 Issue
MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland has received approval from the state of
Michigan to perform primary angioplasty, a lifesaving procedure for many heart
attack patients. MidMichigan became the first hospital in the state approved to
offer primary angioplasty without an on-site open-heart surgery program.
The angioplasty procedure available at MidMichigan will save patients at least
30 minutes in getting to the closest medical center that offers the procedure.
And every minute saved prevents further damage to the patients' heart muscles
during a heart attack.
A patient who has had an angioplasty before is not precluded from having one
again. And regardless of where the angioplasty procedure took place the first
time, a patient should go to the nearest center to get intervention as quickly
as possible.
Although new to MidMichigan, the procedure is performed by an interventional
cardiologist who has had at least two years' experience performing angioplasties
in an open-heart program at another hospital. Two registered nurses and a
registered radiologic technologist, all of whom have received hands-on training
in coronary angioplasty, assist. Additionally, MidMichigan's coronary care
nursing staff, emergency room staff and emergency medical services received
additional training in caring for angioplasty patients, including the use of a
balloon pump in an emergency situation.
MidMichigan's team of interventional cardiologists is lead by Daniel T. Lee, MD,
FACC of Michigan Cardiovascular Institute.