The respected dean of the faculty, Bannakij Lojanapiwat, stresses the significance of the scheme, asserting that its aim is to truncate the time spent from doorstep to consulting room, ultimately ensuring patient survival and recovery. With patients suffering from conditions such as acute coronary syndrome, every ticking second is vital, he reminds us. Immediate medical care is paramount.
Official statements released by the hospital, an integral part of Chiang Mai University’s esteemed Faculty of Medicine, on Wednesday highlight a remarkable transformation. The integration of the Catheterization Lab and Cardiac MRI facilities directly into the hospital’s ER, has shifted the Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital into becoming Thailand’s largest comprehensive ER service in the northern region.
The ability to provide time-sensitive treatment is more than crucial, it’s life-saving. To assist in this effort, the hospital will employ smart ambulances for efficient patient transportation, says Bannakij. The goal is straightforward – beginning the diagnosis process during the journey itself to ensure surgical procedures can commence as soon as possible. The golden thirty-minute window is the targeted timeframe, affording a higher chance of survival.
Regulations prescribe that heart failure patients must be swiftly diagnosed within 10 minutes of arrival at the ER, aided by an electrocardiogram, and must undergo surgery within 90 minutes. Pannipa Suwannasom, the hospital’s accomplished interventional cardiologist, is confident that the hospital’s medical team will surpass these standards by achieving surgery within 60 minutes, thanks to the integration of the cath lab and cardiac MRI into the ER, a dramatic improvement from the previous 79-minute average.
“The speedier process is a life-saver, undoubtedly, but it also significantly reduces the possible heart damage,” Pannipa notes, contrasting most hospitals where the catheterization lab and emergency room are spatially separated, often across different floors.
With this innovative shift toward integration, Asst Prof Dr. Narain Chotirosniramit, the hospital’s director, points out that what previously took 10-15 minutes to merely transfer patients from ER to the cath lab on the 8th floor will now be bypassed, a change with potential implications on the life-death scale. “It’s a life-saving move,” he assures.
As a pioneer in heart failure clinical facilities over two decades ago, Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Medicine remains committed to pushing boundaries. The CMU Heart Failure Management Programme has been recognized for its profound contributions, earning the American Heart Association’s ‘Get with the Guidelines – Heart Failure Bronze Plus Achievement Award’. With sights set on higher goals, the CMU team is not stopping there. Aiming for Silver Level accreditation, and ultimately, the Gold standard over the next two years, CMU is setting a benchmark for healthcare in Thailand.
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