\u201cI\u2019ve watched our stroke program grow over the years under Dr. Sanjay Mittal and his whole team. It\u2019s an amazing program,\u201d said Dr. Andy Agwunobi, CEO of UConn Health. \u201cStroke is one of the leading causes of death in the country and UConn Health is on the forefront of addressing that. I want to thank the whole stroke team, neurosurgery and everyone that has been involved in getting the Stroke Gold Plus and Stroke Elite Honor Roll Award from the American Heart Association.\u201d<\/p>\n
Agwunobi added: \u201cAlso, I want to thank the door-to-balloon STEMI heart attack team. This is really about saving people\u2019s lives and once again you\u2019ve proven that our hospital is one of the best in the nation for this type of care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations to everyone involved in fast, high quality, and lifesaving STEMI heart attack patient care at UConn Health, and their continued commitment to excellence,\u201d shared Dr. Bruce T. Liang, director of the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn Health.<\/p>\n UConn John Dempsey Hospital\u2019s multifaceted team including paramedics, Emergency Department personnel, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory staff, and interventional cardiac specialists who are on standby 24\/7 to offer patients lifesaving heart attack care and treatments at a moment\u2019s notice inside the cardiac catheterization lab at\u00a0UConn Health\u2019s Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSix consecutive years of AHA Gold Level honors for emergency heart attack care is an impressive track record that speaks to the dedication and excellence of the EMS, Emergency Medicine, and interventional cardiology teams devoted to making this a success,\u201d said Dr. Scott Allen, medical director of Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety, Chief Quality Officer and Chief Medical Officer (Interim) at UConn John Dempsey Hospital.<\/p>\n If ambulance paramedics suspect a patient is having a STEMI heart attack based on an electrocardiogram test (EKG), a STEMI Alert is radioed immediately to UConn John Dempsey Hospital from the patient\u2019s home or location to activate the\u00a0Emergency Department<\/a> and the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory to be prepared to treat the heart attack patient. Even if it is in the middle of the night, on-call staff will be at the ready to care for the patient.<\/p>\n Once a STEMI patient arrives to UConn John Dempsey Hospital\u2019s ED they are swiftly taken to the Cardiac Cath Lab for a lifesaving minimally invasive procedure known as a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to open any narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. UConn Health\u2019s interventional cardiology team are well-known for their pioneering use of minimally invasive cardiac interventions through a patient\u2019s wrist artery rather than via traditional groin artery access.<\/p>\n UConn Health is an accredited AHA Mission: Lifeline Heart Attack Receiving Center.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Mission-AHA-Heart-ML-RECEIVING-PLUS_2020_Gold_4C-225x300.png\")
Heart Attack Care Excellence <\/strong>
\nUConn is being recognized once again for its excellent care of STEMI, the most life-threatening heart attack that each year strikes more than 250,000 people. STEMI occurs when blood flow to a portion of the heart is completely blocked. Unless the blockage is removed quickly, the patient\u2019s heart muscle begins to die, and their health and life are in serious danger.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Mission-AHA-GWTG_TS-ELITE-PLUS_2020_Gold_4C-180x300.jpg\")
Stroke Team Receives Top Honor Again
\n<\/strong>800,000 Americans experience a stroke each year. This means a stroke strikes someone in the U.S. every 40 seconds. Also, stroke takes the lives of 129,000 people a year, is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., and the number one major cause of adult disability.<\/p>\n