New service will save lives

One of the most dangerous types of heart attacks can now be treated in Gippsland with Latrobe Regional Health opening its new STEMI service.

A STEMI — or ST-elevation myocardial infarction — is a severe heart attack caused by a sudden blockage in a coronary artery, cutting off oxygen to the heart muscle.

Without rapid treatment, it carries a mortality risk of up to 10 per cent.

LRH received three STEMI patients within the first 24 hours of starting the new service in April.
LRH director of cardiology associate professor Derk Pol said the new service was designed to dramatically reduce treatment times, which are critical to survival.
"Time is tissue," he said. "The faster we can open the blocked artery, the better the outcome. Minutes can mean the difference between life and death."
Until now, Gippsland patients were routinely transferred by road or air ambulance to the Victorian Heart Hospital or The Alfred both in Melbourne.
However, he said, it meant the heart muscle continued to die in transit.
Patients at LRH are being treated in a specialised cardiac catheterisation lab, where blocked arteries can be opened quickly using minimally invasive techniques.
The STEMI service is part of the hospital's expanded cardiac unit, which has been developed over the past 18 months.
It includes new equipment, an advanced catheterisation lab, and a strengthened team of cardiologists and specially trained nursing staff.
Assoc prof Pol said he expected about 50 patients to be treated under the new service in its initial phase.
"There's a direct link between treatment delays and risk of death," he said. "This service will absolutely save lives."