Cooper Recognized For Treatment Of Severe Heart Attacks

Cooper University Health Care’s Emergency Medical Services has been recognized for steps it has taken to treat patients who suffer severe heart attacks, the health system announced.

Cooper was recognized with the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award, according to health officials.

“This recognition from the American Heart Association is a testament to the high level of professionalism of Cooper’s emergency medical technicians and paramedics and their commitment to saving lives,” EMS Director of Air and Ground Services at Cooper Rick Rohrbach said.

Each year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment, according to health officials.

To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks.

It starts from when 9-1-1 is called and includes EMS transport and hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack patients takes coordination between the individual hospital, EMS, and healthcare system.

“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee Chair Tim Henry said. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient.”

Cooper has been providing integrated basic and advanced life support emergency medical services in Camden since January 2016. In that time, Cooper EMS has responded to more than 208,000 calls, launched several new community initiatives, and served as a trusted community resource.

In the past five years, Cooper ALS units were consistently on location within the critical eight-minute benchmark in greater than 90 percent of the calls, according to health officials.