Chest Pain Center - Pikeville Medical Center

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Pikeville Medical Center's Chest Pain Center

After a detailed review and on-site survey, Pikeville Medical Center was recently awarded a Level 3 Accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. This highly-acclaimed distinction ranks the hospital among the top 10 Chest Pain Centers in the nation and the first hospital in Kentucky to earn the society’s highest accreditation.

PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) refers to a variety of procedures used to treat patients with diseased arteries of the heart caused by a build-up of fats, cholesterol, and other substances from the blood (referred to as plaque) that can reduce blood flow and lead to chest pain or a heart attack.

Pikeville Medical Center’s Heart Institute features the region’s most experienced cardiology professionals. The group, comprised of interventional Cardiologist Dr. Bill Harris, Dr. Muhammad Ahmad and Dr. Yeraldine Toledo, Cardiothoracic Surgeons Dr. Dennis Havens and Dr. Peter McKeown, Vascular Surgeon Dr. Marshall Grillo and Cardiologist Dr. Jose L. Velazquez, the Heart Institute uses the state-of-the-art diagnostic tools to provide world-class care.

Pikeville Medical Center’s accreditation means the hospital can provide the whole continuum of care, from diagnostics to heart surgery procedures, on site.

To earn Chest Pain Center accreditation, a facility must successfully meet the Society’s eight criteria.

Integration of the emergency department with the Emergency Medical System
Timely diagnosis and treatment of patients with ACS (Acute Coronary Syndrome)
Assessment of patients with low to moderate risk of ACS
Functional facility design
Organizational structure
Process improvement orientation
Community outreach, and personnel Competencies and training

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PMC’s Chest Pain Center strives to quickly diagnose cardiac patients, begin treatment within minutes and significantly improve the chance of a positive outcome. Studies show that Chest Pain Centers reduce mortality rates by 37 percent. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain, but only ten to fifteen percent of the patients are diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack. We achieve success with early intervention and rapid initiation of therapy.

“We were held to highest standards during the survey,” said Dr. Bill Harris, an interventional cardiologist with PMC’s Heart Institute. “Our patients can be certain they will receive quick and efficient cardiac care through a patient-specific plan of action.”

Pikeville Medical Center worked with local emergency service providers to equip ambulances with EKG monitors capable of relaying test results during transport. This allows members of PMC’s Chest Pain Center to implement a plan of action while the patient is en route to our emergency department.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), Coronary Heart Disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States. Statistics show that about 7.9 million people (age 20 and older) have survived a heart attack. This year, the AHA predicts that 1.2 million Americans will suffer their first heart attack. Warning signs often include tightness or pressure in the chest and may also spread to the shoulders, neck and arms.