Areas of Expertise
Acute Coronary Care
Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is a term used to describe symptoms associated with heart attack or unstable chest pain that might signal an impending heart attack. Acute coronary syndrome is caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels that carry blood to the heart. When blood flow to the heart muscle is partially or completely blocked, it can lead to permanent muscle damage or death. ACS is therefore a very serious and potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. Time is of the essence.
Physicians use the phrase "door-to-balloon time" to describe the time from when a patient arrives at the emergency department to when the blockage in the coronary artery or arteries is cleared. American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines recommend a door to balloon time of 90 minutes or less. At Midwest Cardiology Associates, we have skilled cardiologists on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to cardiac emergencies. They draw not only on their training and experience during these critical times, but they also reply on the highly structured program we have developed as an organization to ensure the shortest door-to-balloon time possible. In addition, to ensure that we maintain the highest level of treatment for ACS, we hold monthly meetings to review our results so we duplicate what we do correctly and learn from any mistakes.
At Midwest Cardiology Associates, we also use a fully integrated electronic medical record (EMR) system. The EMR gives us access to all of our patients' medical records 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether we're at one of our offices or any of our affiliated hospitals. This means that, during an emergency, our cardiologists can locate vital information about our patients immediately.
It's important to remember that ACS is a potentially life-threatening situation. If you think you or someone around you may be having an episode of ACS, call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately.
