Longhua chest pain center nears city’s rescue record

The chest pain center at the Longhua District Central Hospital

The chest pain center at the Longhua District Central Hospital rescued a patient with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from a life-threatening situation in 17 minutes, which was only one minute slower than the record for the fastest rescue in Shenzhen, the Southern Metropolis Daily said.

The center recently received the district’s first outstanding achievement award.

Liu Hongtao, director of the center, told the Daily that this result could be attributed to each member at the center.

“It took us over 100 minutes to complete an operation back in July 2016 when the center was set up. We shortened the time to 80 minutes and later to 30 minutes. Now we have brought it down to only 17 minutes, which would only have been possible with the concerted efforts of the whole team,” he said.

Distinct from patients with other diseases, those with an acute coronary syndrome are likely to have a heart attack in the middle of the night. However, the rate of a successful rescue is relatively low, according to Liu. He said they established the center to streamline procedures to earn more time for heart patients.

“We have to stand by 24/7. It is hard for us to get a rest as long as we are receiving patients,” said Xu Fang, a staffer at the center.

Sometimes, medical personnel have to wear specially made uniforms that weigh over 15 kilograms per piece for seven to eight hours during operations to protect themselves from radiation, the report said.

The Longhua hospital passed the evaluation to become a member of China Chest Pain Center in 2017 and has become the designated hospital for AMI treatment in the city. The hospital has been included in the selection for a model chest pain unit in Guangdong Province.

There is a WeChat group with people from five grass-roots clinics in Longhua and the center.

“Before patients arrive at the hospital, staff at the center can learn of their situation through the WeChat group, which can also save time,” said Liu.

The center has provided first aid treatment to 2,771 patients since last year. Over 600 operations were performed at the center last year, more than 200 of which involved acute coronary syndrome.