When a possible heart attack patient arrives, said Emergency Department Nurse Shelia Duckworth, R.N., “We get that EKG within five minutes. We get an IV started within 10 minutes. There’s a time limit and we know it, so everybody jumps on it.” Golden Hour For a stroke (caused by reduced blood flow to the brain), Duckworth said, treatment is most effective within 60 minutes after symptoms begin – the “golden hour.” An immediate head-and-neck CT scan can confirm the stroke diagnosis and determine what type of stroke has occurred, which in turn dictates the kind of treatment. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stroke is number four. For either, it’s crucial to call 911 quickly. Heart attacks and strokes disrupt blood flow. Restoring the blood supply as soon as possible can prevent or minimize damage to the brain and other organs. Better to Be Safe “Get it checked out,” Duckworth said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” At Covington County Hospital, the emergency team works to stabilize the patient. Then the patient is transferred to a hospital that best fits their treatment and recovery needs. Duckworth said the team tries to turn around heart attack patients within 30 minutes, especially those having a STEMI – an ST-elevation myocardial infarction, the most dangerous type of heart attack. “Our last one that we shipped out was 18 minutes, door in, door out.” Experienced Duckworth has worked at CCH for 20 years, and in the ER for over a decade. The emergency team consists of twelve providers (doctors and nurse practitioners), eight full-time registered nurses, and seven registered nurses who fill in as needed. All are certified in several types of life support. Most, like her, have a decade or more of experience in the department. During her years in the ER, she said, she’s seen an increase in heart attack patients – and a decrease in their average age. Younger patients “We’re actually seeing a lot of heart attacks in younger patients, some under the age of 40,” she said. “We have sent 20-year-olds to Hattiesburg with heart attacks. A lot of them think it’s just acid reflux.” Strokes can also afflict young people. Amy Yates, CCH’s Director of Emergency Medical Services Education and Training, said a fellow paramedic recently treated a 16-year-old boy who felt dizzy, passed out, and woke up unable to feel the left side of his body. It was indeed a stroke, caused by a birth defect. Fortunately, Yates said, “He is doing very well.” Broad Training Mississippi doesn’t require stroke certification for EMS personnel, but Yates said almost all CCH Ambulance Service paramedics are stroke certified anyway. They’re also trained in basic life support (CPR), advanced Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CovingtonCares 17
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