London Ambulance Service report identifies the state of the art catheter lab
St George’s Hospital is one of eight designated Heart Attack Centres in the capital, home to a state-of-the-art catheter lab which is used to perform lifesaving angioplasty for patients suffering cardiac arrest and other serious heart conditions. 72.4% of patients suffering from cardiac arrest* who were brought directly to the catheter lab at St George’s Hospital survived, according to the Cardiac Arrest Annual Report 2011/12. The overall survival rate for patients taken to any Heart Attack Centre in London was 63.3%.
Angioplasty is a procedure where a catheter is inserted into an artery where a blockage is causing the heart attack. A small balloon is inflated to open the artery and a tiny tube called a stent is then inserted to keep the artery open. Angioplasty is recognised as the best possible treatment for a heart attack.
Pitt Lim, consultant cardiologist and clinical lead for cardiac intervention at St George’s Hospital, said:
“This report clearly demonstrates that patients suffering a heart attack have a much higher chance of survival when they are taken directly to a Heart Attack Centre with a modern catheter lab. We provide one of the most effective cardiac intervention services in the country and a 24/7 enhanced heart attack service which saves many lives each year.
“We work hard to develop our staff, who are among the most skilled in London; they are motivated and strive to push boundaries in patient care. Outcomes for cardiac patients at St George’s are excellent and this is all thanks to the specialist team approach and advanced facilities we have.”
The Heart Attack Centre at St George’s Hospital was also acknowledged as having the best response rate for treating heart attack patients in London in the 2012 Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP), published by the Royal College of Physicians.
*Statistics relate to patients suffering a cardiac arrest outside of hospital (for instance, at home, at their GP surgery or in public) only.
September 3, 2012