Hutchinson Regional Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Center has received the American Heart Association (AHA)’s Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center-Gold Plus Achievement Award for treatment of severe heart attack patients.

According to the AHA, more than 250,000 Americans experience a STEMI, the deadliest type of heart attack. A STEMI is caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart and requires swift treatment. To prevent death, blood flow needs to be restored as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

Hutchinson Regional participates in the AHA’s Mission: Lifeline program, which works to reduce barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning when a call is placed to 911 to EMS personnel, and continuing through transportation, treatment and discharge.

Dr. Tim Henry who assists the AHA in overseeing selection of Gold Plus recipients, said EMTs and paramedics play a vital role in the initial treatment of heart attack patients. “Since EMTs and paramedics are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient.”

In a joint statement, Megan Rucker, Process Improvement/Lean Six Sigma Advisor, and Aubrey Nuss, Director of Cardiovascular Services and Outpatient Infusion at HRMC, said the national distinction reflects years of hard work by a dedicated team of healthcare professionals. “Our partners in the Hutchinson Regional Emergency Department, Reno County EMS, transferring hospitals, and transferring EMS agencies all work together to provide the highest quality and timely care to our patients,” Nuss and Rucker said. “Without the valued relationships, we would not have been able to achieve a ‘Door to Balloon’ time of 63 minutes in 2020. National guidelines require that hospitals accomplish this in no more than 90 minutes and in the case of Hutchinson Regional, we exceed that requirement by nearly one third.”

Ken Johnson, President and CEO of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System (HRHS), said the hospital’s Heart and Vascular Center is honored to be selected for one of the most prestigious awards granted by the AHA. “The Gold Plus Award places Hutchinson Regional among the best of the best in heart and vascular treatment and is a distinction that all strive to achieve,” Johnson said. “This award is another example of the team work and tireless dedication that has become synonymous with Hutchinson Regional.”

Hutchinson Regional Medical Center annually treats approximately 2,000 heart patients and is served by three Interventional Cardiologists: Drs. Michael Hagley, Jamil Ahmed, and Costy Mattar along with Dr. Robert Fleming, a Cardiothoracic surgeon.