When you’re having chest pain, you want the best possible care from a team of medical experts. That’s exactly what you’ll get at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital. “In 2010 our hospital earned accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, a national oversight board,” explains Edgar Carell, MD, on staff at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital and Adventist Heart & Vascular Institute.

That seal of approval isn’t just a nice accolade. It means the hospital has been through a rigorous process to ensure that their physicians, nurses, technologists and other hospital staff are following the latest guidelines to deliver the best care possible to you. In real terms, it means when you’re having chest pain, a tried and tested process gets started to assess your situation and keep you safe. “We’re constantly striving to deliver the safest most efficient and effective care to our patients,” says Dr. Carell.

Assessment in minutes
When a patient arrives at the emergency room at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, a team of specialists springs into action. “Not all heart attacks are the same, especially in women who don’t typically have the chest and left-arm pain men do,” says Dr. Carell. “The goal is to determine whether the patient is having a heart attack within the first few minutes of their arrival, and get them the treatment they need as soon as possible.”
Here’s how they do it:
• Patients are immediately given oxygen and blood tests designed to evaluate a heart attack are administered.
• Within one to three minutes patients are put on a heart monitor.
• Within 10 minutes of arrival patients will be given an EKG.

If a heart attack is suspected, a dedicated care team is called on to get the patient into the cardiac catheterization laboratory within 30 minutes of the patient’s arrival. “Every person who comes to us with chest pain gets individualized care. We look at the whole patient to determine what’s causing their pain and how best to treat it,” Dr. Carell says.

The team’s work isn’t done if there is no evidence of a heart attack. “We have to make sure that nothing life-threatening is going on,” Dr. Carell explains. “Most patients who come in aren’t having heart attacks, but they could be having another kind of serious cardiac event.”

High tech, hands-on
The emergency department is equipped with the latest in heart-care technology. In many cases, lifesaving procedures can be done by using minimally invasive techniques like making an incision in the wrist rather than through the leg to reach a blocked artery. “We do a lot of work now through catheters that allow us to perform surgery with just a small puncture,” Dr. Carell says. “It means patients can leave the hospital in a day or two, and the overall recovery is much less taxing.” 

The advantage of using the minimally invasive technique is clear. “Patients don’t have to be confined to prolonged bed-rest waiting for their leg to heal, which can lead to muscle weakness. They can start their rehabilitation much sooner than they could have in the past,” says Dr. Carell.

“Everyone on our team is committed to the highest quality of care for our cardiac patients,” he adds. “That’s something you’ll notice in all stages of your treatment, from OR to recovery.”