Orangeville, ON – Working in partnership with Headwaters Health Care Centre and the Southlake Regional Cardiac Program, Dufferin County Paramedics have launched a new program to ensure local residents suspected of having a heart attack receive immediate, life-saving care. The program involves transporting eligible Dufferin County residents with suspected heart attacks directly to Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket where they can immediately undergo an emergency angioplasty procedure.

The new program was put to the test for the first time on January 1, 2009 when Dufferin County Paramedics determined Shari-Lynn of Grand Valley was suffering from a suspected heart attack. “Paramedics used the bypass protocol for patient, Shari-Lynn, who was suffering from an acute cardiac attack requiring an emergency angioplasty procedure. The patient was transported directly to the Southlake Regional Cardiac Program to receive care. Once stabilized following the procedure, Shari-Lynn was transferred to Headwaters Health Care Centre where she was able to rest and rehabilitate with family and friends,” said Tom Reid, Director of Dufferin County Ambulance.

“Everything happened so fast. I was celebrating my 10th anniversary at Hockley Valley Resort on New Year’s and woke up not feeling well. The ambulance was called at 3:30 am and after assessing me Paramedics told me they were taking me directly to Southlake’s cardiac program. By 8 am I had undergone an emergency angioplasty and was recovering in my room. Once I was stable I was transferred to Headwaters,” said Shari-Lynn. “The nursing staff at Headwaters are amazing. I’ve been given tones of information to read and the nurses have answered all my questions. They’ve even come in to give me hugs.”

When treating heart attacks, speed and efficiency are essential. “This partnership allows paramedics to take high-risk patients directly to Southlake for treatment,” said Reid. “Our Paramedics are trained to assess the patient and determine the most appropriate action. Paramedics continue to monitor the patient’s heart on the way to the hospital and are trained and equipped to treat catastrophic events that may happen during a heart attack, like cardiac arrest.”

Before this project began, patients suffering from heart attacks were taken to the emergency department of the nearest local hospital, where they were treated with clot-busting drugs to dissolve clots and reduce the amount of heart muscle damage.  

“Recent studies have shown that angioplasty, a procedure that re-opens blocked arteries, is the best emergency treatment for the survival of heart attack patients when performed in a timely manner” says Dr. Warren Cantor, Interventional Cardiologist at Southlake Regional Health Centre. “This program allows us to provide the best practice standard of care that is crucial in limiting overall damage to the heart muscle. As a regional centre and leaders in cardiac care, we are pleased to partner with Headwaters and Dufferin County Ambulance to ensure that their patients are able to receive this lifesaving treatment.”

To be eligible to participate in the program, Paramedics must determine that the patient is experiencing symptoms consistent with a heart attack for over 2 hours and that transport time to Southlake is within 60 minutes.

“The warning signs of a heart attack are similar for both men and women,” cautions Dr. Craig Donaldson, Chief of Department Emergency Medicine at Headwaters Health Care Centre. “Both may experience symptoms such as nausea, sweating, pain in the arm, throat, jaw or pain that is unusual. The most common symptom is chest pain. However, women may describe their pain differently than men. For women, chest pain may not be the first sign of trouble. Unusual tiredness, trouble sleeping, problems breathing, indigestion, and anxiety can start up to one month prior to a heart attack. Anyone experiencing these types of symptoms should call 911 immediately in order to receive treatment quickly and minimize the extent of damage to the heart".

According to the International Society of Cardiovascular Anaesthesiologists, 123 Canadians die from sudden cardiac arrest every day. Heart failure affects more than 22 million people worldwide, including about 500,000 Canadians. Studies show the management of chronic heart failure costs the Canadian health care system more than $2 billion each year, with 79 per cent of costs spent on emergency room visits and hospitalization.

“By partnering with Southlake, our patients can be treated and returned to Headwaters, the same day. As part of the Ontario Safer Health Care Now initiative, Headwaters has been looking at ways to improve coronary care including referrals to Headwaters’ cardiac rehabilitation program and teaching patients about smoking cessation, nutrition and exercise,” said Doris Cassan, Director of Medicine at Headwaters.

Patients recovering from a cardiac event can also participate in Headwaters’ 16-week Cardiac Wellness Program to learn about lifestyle changes that could help prevent another heart attack.

“I will be participating in Headwaters’ Cardiac Wellness Program and would like my husband to also. I’ll need his support to make changes and stick with them,” added Shari-Lynn.

Headwaters Health Care Centre
Headwaters Health Care Centre serves more than 110,000 residents in Caledon, Orangeville, Shelburne and Dufferin County. The hospital operates two sites – Headwaters Orangeville, a 108 bed acute care hospital and Headwaters Shelburne, a 33 bed chronic care hospital. Visit www.headwatershealth.ca.

Donations to Headwaters Health Care Foundation can be made online at headwaters.ca/donate or by calling 519-941-2702 ext. 2303 to learn more about how your donation will help patients at Headwaters.

The public is invited to provide comments and suggestions about hospital services. Please contact Cholly Boland, President and CEO, Headwaters Health Care Centre at 519-941-2702 ext. 2200.

Southlake Regional Cardiac Program
Southlake Regional Health Centre is a full-service hospital situated in Newmarket, 40 minutes north of downtown Toronto. The hospital’s regional cardiac program is the fourth largest centre in Ontario and number one in Canada for treating the most debilitating heart rhythm conditions and performing the highest number of electrophysiology studies. Southlake’s comprehensive cardiac program consists of the following sub-categories: Heart Rhythm, Cardiac Surgery, Invasive/Interventional, Cardiac Diagnostics and Clinics, Medical Cardiology and Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation. Southlake is the only non-teaching hospital in Ontario to specialize in both cancer and cardiac care, and to offer a total of five regional programs.
 

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