Level 1 Heart
When treating a heart attack patient, time is critical. The faster a patient has a clogged artery opened, the better the chance of preserving heart function and saving the patient's life.
Level 1 Heart, a chest pain system implemented by Lutheran Hospital's accredited Chest Pain Center, enhances the level of care for acute heart attack patients. The system has cut response time in half for patients traveling from Dukes Memorial Hospital to Lutheran Hospital. Level 1 Heart is also being utilized in Indiana at Bluffton Regional Medical Center, Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital, Dupont Hospital, Adams Memorial Hospital, Cameron Memorial Community Hospital, DeKalb Health, Marion General Hospital and Woodlawn Hospital. In Ohio, Van Wert County Hospital is a Level 1 Heart partner.
How Level 1 Heart Works
Level I Heart uses an exclusive phone system that automatically connects partnered facilities to Lutheran Hospital's emergency department. When Lutheran Hospital receives a call from one of its Level 1 Heart partners, established protocols for acute heart attack patients are immediately activated prior to the patient's transfer. Prehospital emergency personnel, the referring hospitals, ED personnel, cardiologists and the cardiac catheterization team at Lutheran Hospital all play an integral part in the system.
In addition, the critical care transport team at Lutheran Hospital, reinforced by Lutheran Air and its mobile intensive care units, play a key role in activating Level 1 Heart protocols. Thanks to advanced technology with 12-lead monitors and additional training, paramedics in the field are able to recognize a certain type of heart attack, notify local medical control and receive direction from the emergency physician, who can trigger the system.