Proximity to ER, consolidation of services helps patients

More patients are being seen sooner since the new cardiology unit opened in Baylor Medical Center at Grapevine, said Michelle Speicher, director of cardiovascular services.

Speicher said the unit, which opened with the new patient tower in July, allows both non-invasive and invasive cardiology procedures to be done in one place—before, they were performed in different locations in the hospital.

She said that in August the unit was able to see 15 heart attack patients that needed intervention, compared to the previous average of two to 10 a month.

Those patients also are being seen faster, which is crucial in heart attack cases.

Speicher said the unit's location near the emergency department has reduced the time it takes to see an emergency cardiac patient. July's time was down to 35.5 minutes, compared to 64-67 minutes before the unit opened, she said, both well under the national goal of 90 minutes.

"Time is muscle," Speicher said. "When we reduce the time it takes to do the intervention, it saves the patient heart muscle."

The unit also includes new, more sophisticated equipment, including an instrument that takes 3-D images of the heart.

The unit expanded to three cardiac cath labs from two, and went from eight prep and recovery rooms to 15.

Susan Hall, spokeswoman for Baylor, said the unit was the first in Texas to receive full atrial fibrillation certification status from the Society of Cardiovascular Care.