By Susan J. Park
The Orange County Register
Copyright 2007 The Orange County Register (California)
All Rights Reserved
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — About two weeks ago, Earl Choate had insistent chest pains that lasted all day.
“I kept hoping they would go away, but they didn’t,” said Choate, a Fountain Valley resident for 35 years.
Choate was taken by his wife to the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center’s emergency room, and within 30 minutes, he was having an emergency procedure at the hospital’s catheterization lab to open up an artery.
As soon as the medical balloon opened up his artery that was blocked about 90 percent, “immediately everything started to settle down and the chest pains started to go down,” he said.
Choate’s treatment likely went faster than it would have earlier. Last month, the hospital became the only chest pain center in Orange County accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers.
The accreditation process took about six months, and it included a two-day visit to the hospital by representatives from the society.
The hospital’s accreditation by the society will last for three years. It is one of 364 hospitals nationwide with the distinction, said Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, executive director of the Society of Chest Pain Centers.
The accreditation process streamlines the treatment of chest pains from their onset, not just when a patient gets to the hospital, Lipetz said.
This includes providing community outreach programs to educate people on how to react to chest pains and evaluating cooperation between paramedics and the hospital.
“Even though we get our paychecks from different sources, we’re all part of a team,” said Tim Finucan, a paramedic/engineer with the Fountain Valley Fire Department, who spoke with the evaluators from the society. "... It makes the whole team more efficient.”
The hospital also has scheduled a series of educational lectures in the community to encourage people to take actions such as riding in an ambulance to start the emergency care, instead of driving themselves, said Lynn Redwater, director of cardiac services at the hospital.
The urgent need to treat chest pains comes from the idea that “time equals muscle,” Redwater said. The quicker a patient can be diagnosed with a problem, the better chances are for recovery.
Inside the hospital, a procedure has been developed to deal with any patient who has chest pains. It takes the hospital an average of seven minutes to give an electrocardiogram (ECG) to a patient with chest pains and the national average is about 10 minutes, Redwater said.
Also, tests to judge enzyme levels and other early diagnostic steps are taken immediately to determine whether the patient is having a heart attack.
“Before this, we weren’t adequately using all of our resources,” Redwater said.
Now there is a formula for hospital workers to consult to treat any patient with chest pains. The new system can also mean an earlier discharge of patients.
“We find out within 12 hours if you just need a Mylanta and can be sent home,” Redwater said.
As for Choate, he has been transferred to Kindred Hospital in Westminster. Though his heart procedure went well, he developed an infection, said his wife, Gwendolyn Choate.
“I wouldn’t say it was the best (care),” she said. “It comes down to the staff. ... Some are very courteous ... but his heart treatment was fine.”