The esteemed faculty dean, Bannakij Lojanapiwat, accentuated the primary goal behind the integration was to curtail door-to-door time for patients thus increasing their survival and recovery odds. He explained that patients grappling with acute coronary syndrome require prompt medical intervention where “every ticking minute is consequential”.
In a significant announcement made on Wednesday, the Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital, an integral segment of Chiang Mai University’s esteemed Faculty of Medicine, shared that the confluence of the Catheterization Lab and Cardiac MRI facilities into the emergency room (ER) has morphed the hospital into Thailand’s leading one-stop-service ER in the North.
Striving to offer critical and timely treatment, a life-saving factor, the hospital has initiated the use of state-of-the-art ambulances for patient transit. Consequently, the diagnosis of patients’ symptoms could commence during the journey, and as soon as the patients step foot in the hospital, surgical operations could be initiated, as explained by Bannakij.
He stated, “Our adept team should be capable of performing the indispensable surgery within a span of 30 minutes. As a result, it naturally escalates the survival probability.”
The benchmark dictates that once patients with heart failures are admitted to the ER, their diagnosis must be expedited with an electrocardiogram within the first 10 minutes, ensuing a befitting surgery within 90 minutes.
Interventional cardiologist Pannipa Suwannasom is optimistic that the medical team at her hospital should cut down the surgical time to under 60 minutes owing to the integration of the cath lab and cardiac MRI into the ER – a significant reduction from 79 minutes prior to the amalgamation.
She stated, “Speedy treatment not only saves lives, but it also minimizes damage from heart conditions.” She further observed that in the majority of the hospitals, the cath lab and the emergency room function in separate zones or possibly different floors altogether.
Asst Prof Dr Narain Chotirosniramit, the director of Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, mentioned that before the integration took place, it would take anywhere between 10 to 15 minutes just to transport patients from the ER to the cath lab situated on the 8th floor of the hospital building.
“This strategic move has the potential to save precious lives,” he declared.
Having established a heart failure clinic over two decades ago, the Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai University was the pioneer in Thailand. Over the past several decades, the clinic has consistently elevated its standards. The CMU’s Heart Failure Management Programme was privileged to receive the Get with the Guidelines – Heart Failure Bronze Plus Achievement Award from the American Heart Association.
The CMU is currently in full swing, escalating its benchmark to the Silver Level, with a targeted aim of reaching the prestigious Gold Level within the upcoming couple of years.
Be First to Comment