Hospital president works to avoid needing cardiac care

About a year ago I got news that many people hear all too often, but what many frequently ignore.

My triglyceride numbers had doubled in a year. I’d always been one to diet off and on and placed a premium on exercise, but the scare with my lab numbers moved me into high gear. I cut carbs and sugar from my diet and within 30 days my numbers drastically decreased. In the process I’ve managed to lose about 25 pounds, which as a side benefit has made shopping all the more fun.

It’s important to know your numbers because that is one predictor of future heart disease. As a hospital president I’ve always placed a personal priority on offering high quality cardiac care to our communities. Having quality heart care close to home is essential in preserving heart muscle, which dies every second when someone is having a heart attack.

This point is so important that I’m going to repeat it. Heart muscle dies every second when someone is having a heart attack. Knowing that makes it all the more important to have a hospital close by that puts a high premium on providing fast cardiac care following nationally recognized guidelines for excellence. I am proud that Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford is such a hospital.

Employees and physicians on the medical staff have been working diligently to earn Cycle III Chest Pain Center. This is the highest accreditation possible by the Society of Chest Pain Centers for treatment of our patients with chest pain.
The designation means we rank among the best in the world for the rapid recognition and collaborative treatment of acute coronary syndrome or heart attacks. When heart muscle is on the line, this is a vital distinction.

To patients, the designation means that Texas Health HEB has met stringent national standards for rapid recognition and collaborative treatment of heart attack. Nationally, accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers is linked to better patient outcomes and more lives saved, according to an Emory University School of Medicine study published in the American Journal of Cardiology in July 2008.

Collaboration between emergency medical providers and the hospital’s emergency department, cardiac catheterization lab, cardiac intensive care unit, telemetry and cardiac rehabilitation unit is critical to the success of chest pain centers. This accreditation is the result of a team effort that requires the skills and expertise of employees across the hospital and the physicians on our medical staff.

Because time is crucial in stopping damage to the heart muscle, the Society of Chest Pain Centers recommends that individuals call 9-1-1 if they experience chest pain or other heart attack symptoms such as:

• Chest discomfort including squeezing or fullness in addition to pressure and pain;
• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, arms, back, neck or stomach;
• Shortness of breath; and
• Other symptoms such as cold sweat, nausea, fatigue or dizziness.

As we’ve sought this designation, I realize I’ve been lucky not to have had any close relatives touched by a heart attack. But I’ve known too many people in our community who have dealt with devastating blows one can cause. I hope that you won’t need our cardiac cath lab or cardiac intensive care unit, but I for one rest easier knowing that they are staffed with caring professionals who have been recognized for excellence by organizations such as the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

Deborah Paganelli, FACHE
Hospital President
Texas Health HEB