Paducah hospital earns highest chest pain accreditation in area | Community Spirit

PADUCAH, KY (KFVS) - Lourdes is pleased to announce it has been awarded a Cycle IV Certification for Chest Pain, which is the highest accreditation for any hospital in the area.

The hospital says Cycle IV is the highest level granted by the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

“People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack, and that’s a mistake,” said Dr. Jeremy Klope, Lourdes Emergency Department Medical Director. “The average patient arrives in the emergency department more than two hours after the onset of symptoms.”

“The sooner we can open up the artery that is blocked, the more heart muscle is saved. More lives are saved, and the better the patient’s quality of life will be after that,” said C. David Hogancamp, Lourdes Cardiologist.

Hospitals that have received SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in treating patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. They emphasize the importance of standardized diagnostic and treatment programs that provide more efficient and effective evaluation, as well as more appropriate and rapid treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms. They also serve as a point of entry into the healthcare system to evaluate and treat other medical problems, and they help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.

To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Lourdes engaged in a rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. To the community served by Lourdes, this means that processes are in place that meet strict criteria aimed at:

• Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment
• Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved
• Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital

Lourdes is a regional health system that includes a 45-acre campus and off-site locations:  Lourdes Hospital, Lourdes Medical Pavilion, Marshall Nemer Pavilion, Home Health/Hospice and Mercy Medical Associates.

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