North Shore Medical Center FMC Campus Uses the Newest Paradigms in Heart Care to Avoid Heart Damage.

Lauderdale Lakes, FL - North Shore Medical Center FMC Campus has received Chest Pain Center with PCI Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

To gain the accreditation, FMC Campus underwent a rigorous re-evaluation and refinement of its heart care processes to integrate industry best practices and newest paradigms into its cardiac services. FMC Campus's state-of- the-art heart care works seamlessly with emergency medical services and Heart Institute of Florida physicians and staff to ensure patients get treatment they need during the critical early stages of a heart attack.

"People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack," said Ben A. Rodriguez, Chief Administrative Officer, FMC Campus. "It is critical for our hospital, as an accredited Chest Pain Center, to encourage persons to be aware of the early warning signs of heart attack and to seek treatment for chest pain in its early stages."

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), commonly known as coronary angioplasty or simply angioplasty, is one therapeutic procedure used to treat the stenotic (narrowed) coronary arteries of the heart found in coronary heart disease (coronary artery bypass graft is also used). These stenotic segments are due to the build up of cholesterol-laden plaques that form due to atherosclerosis. PCI is usually performed by an interventional cardiologist.

In addition to elective PCI, certain types of heart attacks are also treated urgently with PCI to open a blocked artery.　These types of heart attacks are commonly known as STEMIfs or ST elevated myocardial infarctions.

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL -- North Shore Medical Center FMC Campus has received the 2009 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award.

The award recognizes FMC Campus's commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines.
To receive the award, FMC Campus showed an 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Performance Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures, which are reporting initiatives to measure quality of care.

These measures include aggressive use of medications, such as tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol-reducing drugs, and smoking cessation--all aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients.

With a stroke, time lost is brain lost.  "The Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award demonstrates FMC Campus's commitment to being one of the top U.S. hospitals for providing aggressive, proven stroke care," said Anthony W. Vito, RN, Stroke Program Coordinator.  "We will continue focusing on providing care shown in the scientific literature to quickly, efficiently treat stroke patients with evidence-based protocols."

"FMC Campus is to be commended for its commitment to implementing standards of care and protocols for treating stroke patients," said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., chair of the Get With The Guidelines National Steering Committee and director of the TeleStroke and Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients."

Get With The Guidelines–Stroke uses the "teachable moment," the time soon after a a stroke has occurred, when patients are most likely to listen and follow the guidance of medical professionals. Studies demonstrate that patients who learn to manage risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke.

Through Get With The Guidelines–Stroke, customized education materials are available when patients leave the hospital.. The easy-to-understand materials are available in English and Spanish. The Get With The Guidelines Patient Management Tool gives healthcare providers access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science.

The time is right for FMC Campus to be focused on improving the quality of stroke care by implementing With The Guidelines–Stroke. "The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade because of increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population," said Vito.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability.  On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds.  Someone dies of a stroke every three minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

At a recent Commission meeting, Mayor Barrington Russell, Sr. proclaimed Nov. 2-6, 2008, as Blood Management week for the City of Lauderdale Lakes.

The enhanced Blood Conservation Program will meet the increasing demand for "bloodless" medical and surgical services and will also incorporate blood conservation practices to appeal to patients who prefer to minimize the risk of infection from blood-borne illnesses and other complications.

For information on the Blood Conservation Program, call 954-730-2888.

About North Shore Medical Center FMC Campus

North Shore Medical Center FMC Campus, part of Tenet's Miami-Dade/Broward Health Network, is a 459-bed acute care hospital founded in 1973 and fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Located at 5000 West Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale in western Broward County,

FMC Campus offers a broad range of medical and surgical services. Its Heart Institute of Florida, the hospital's center for cardiac services, is designated a Premium Cardiac Specialty Center by United Healthcare. The hospital earned the Pulmonary Care Excellence Award for 2008 from HealthGrades for its treatment of heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, pneumonia, hip fractures and other ailments. FMC's additional services include neurology and neurosurgery, cancer care, orthopedics, urology, psychiatry, gynecology, imaging, pain center, sleep lab, wound care, and 24-hour emergency services.