Published: November 02, 2009 10:05 pm      

Cardiac unit’s first day a busy one

Raleigh General Hospital’s new interventional cardiac unit was put to the test quickly Monday and officials say they couldn’t be happier with the results.

Although only elective procedures were on the books for the first day of the angioplasty catheterization lab, an emergency procedure was conducted as a patient came in — in the midst of a heart attack.

“We were able to get the patient in and open up the vessel in less than 90 minutes,” said Ronni Pettiford, director of cardiac and pulmonary services.

“He (the patient) was having a heart attack, with 100 percent occlusion of the vessel, and we were able to open it up and save his heart.”

Cardiac angioplasty is a potentially live-saving procedure that opens narrow or blocked vessels that supply blood to the heart.

It can be used during a heart attack to quickly open a blocked artery and reduce the amount of damage to a patient’s heart.

Before Monday, patients from southern West Virginia had to travel to Charleston to receive the procedure.

The ability to perform the emergency procedure in-house is important because it has been shown that less heart muscle damage and an increased survival rate are likely if a patient receives treatment within the first 90 minutes.

Theresa Thacker, director of telemetry services and the cardiac step-down unit, said if the patient had been transferred to another facility it is likely he would not have had the procedure Monday because he would have been given a blood clotting drug before transport.

Because he was able to stay at RGH, however, Thacker said angioplasty was performed immediately and the patient was doing well and would likely be moved from the ICU to a step-down unit today.

“Being able to stay here means faster treatment and a faster discharge,” she said.

RGH CEO Karen Bowling said she was pleased and excited by the results of the first day, which also included a scheduled angioplasty.

“It’s unbelievable when you’re able to see years of work come together and know what you’re able to accomplish by putting cardio angioplasty (center) in place, improving the quality of life for everyone in our area.”

Bowling praised the work of the cardiac unit team, which includes interventional cardiologist Dr. Kenn Glaser.

“It’s an emotional day for me,” she continued.

“We’ve seen today where it made a difference in the life of a person.”