Heart Attack
A heart attack (also called an AMI or acute myocardial infarction) happens when the arteries leading to the heart become blocked and the blood supply is slowed or stopped. These quality measures show some of the standards of quality care provided, if appropriate, to someone who has a heart attack.

Best Practices for the Management of ‘Heart Attack’

The graph displays ELIH’s performance with the best practice standards for Acute Myocardial Infarction (“Heart Attack”) against the average of all US hospitals submitting this data to the JCAHO. More information about Quality of Care Measurements.

The rates displayed in this graph are from data reported for discharges July 2005 through June 2006.

ELIH hospital has treated fewer than 25 eligible patients for some measures.
Eligible patients are those whose medical history and condition indicate that the treatment would be appropriate.

Quality Measures for Standard of Care

1. Heart Attack Patients Given ACE Inhibitor or ARB for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD)

ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) are medicines used to treat patients with heart failure and are particularly beneficial in those patients with heart failure and decreased function of the left side of the heart. Early treatment with ACE inhibitors and ARBs in patients who have heart failure symptoms or decreased heart function after a heart attack can also reduce their risk of death from future heart attacks. ACE inhibitors and ARBs work by limiting the effects of a hormone that narrows blood vessels, and may thus lower blood pressure and reduce the work the heart has to perform. Since the ways in which these two kinds of drugs work are different, your doctor will decide which drug is most appropriate for you. If you have a heart attack and/or heart failure, you should get a prescription for ACE inhibitors or ARBs if you have decreased heart function before you leave the hospital.
 

2.  Heart Attack Patients Given Aspirin at Arrival

 The heart is a muscle that gets oxygen through blood vessels. Sometimes blood clots can block these blood vessels, and the heart can’t get enough oxygen. This can cause a heart attack. Chewing an aspirin as soon as symptoms of a heart attack begin may help reduce the severity of the attack. This chart shows the percent of heart attack patients who were given (or took) aspirin within 24 hours of arrival at the hospital. Higher percentages are better.
 

3.  Heart Attack Patients Given Aspirin at Discharge
Blood clots can block blood vessels. Aspirin can help prevent blood clots from forming or help dissolve blood clots that have formed. Following a heart attack, continued use of aspirin may help reduce the risk of another heart attack. Aspirin can have side effects like stomach inflammation, bleeding, or allergic reactions. Talk to your health care provider before using aspirin on a regular basis to make sure it’s safe for you. Higher percentages are better.

 

4.  Heart Attack Patients Given Beta Blocker at Arrival

Beta blockers are a type of medicine that is used to lower blood pressure, treat chest pain (angina) and heart failure, and to help prevent a heart attack. Beta blockers relieve the stress on the heart by slowing the heart rate and reducing the force with which the heart muscle contracts (to pump blood). Most heart attack patients should be given a beta blocker within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital. Higher percentages are better.

5. Heart Attack Patients Given Beta Blocker at Discharge
Beta blockers are a type of medicine that is used to lower blood pressure, treat chest pain (angina) and heart failure, and to help prevent a heart attack. Beta blockers relieve the stress on your heart by slowing the heart rate and reducing the force with which your heart muscles contract to pump blood. They also help keep blood vessels from constricting in your heart, brain, and body. If you have a heart attack, you should get a prescription for a beta blocker before you leave the hospital.
Higher percentages are better.

More information about:

Quality of Patient Care Measurements
Joint Commission Core Measures

The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. It requires accredited hospitals to collect and submit performance data on these and other quality measure sets.

This requirement was established to improve the safety and quality of care and to support performance improvement in hospitals. The Core Measure initiative allows JCAHO to review data trends and to work with hospitals as they use the information to improve patient care.