Hospitals Struggling to Reach Time-Related Treatment Goals for STEMI
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 13, 2023 -- Challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic are creating longer door-to-balloon (D2B) times for heart attack patients, according to a study presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Quality Summit 2023, held from Oct. 11 to 13 in Orlando, Florida.
Sara Belajonas, M.S.N., from the Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township, New Jersey, and colleagues reviewed all aspects of the D2B process as part of a process improvement initiative to reach the goal of 60 minutes. During quarter 1 2022, D2B time was 73 minutes, or approximately in the 10th percentile nationally. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical center averaged around 60 minutes for approximately two years.
The researchers reported that the review process identified that patients were spending too much time in the emergency room for an assortment of reasons that affected patient throughput. Furthermore, not all patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) brought in by advanced life support units were preactivated. Re-education of the multidisciplinary team (including for preactivation and STEMI prep), time interval drill-down of all STEMI cases, annual drills, and collaboration with emergency medical services (EMS) were all implemented. The medical center reached its 60-minute goal in August 2023.
"I absolutely think other [health care] facilities face similar issues," Belajonas said in a statement. "One major issue arising from the COVID pandemic is national nursing and EMS shortages. These shortages hinder D2B and EMS to balloon times."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2023
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
AI-Assisted Contours Superior to Cognitively Defined Prostate Cancer Contours
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted definition of prostate cancer contours reduces underestimation of the extent of prostate cancer, according to a...
Mean Cost of Bringing New Drug to U.S. Market Is $879.3 Million
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- The mean cost of developing a new drug for the U.S. market is estimated to be $879.3 million when both drug development failure and capital costs are...
Patient–Primary Care Provider Language Concordance Tied to Better Outcomes
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Patient-family physician language concordance is associated with a lower risk for adverse outcomes, according to a study published online June 3...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.