A New Level of Care - 
Illini Campus' Cardiac Cath Lab Offers Elective Angioplasty

Last year, nearly 70 people in the midst of a life-threatening heart attack arrived at Genesis Medical Center's Illini Campus and benefited from early emergency intervention in the cardiac catheterization lab. 

That capability has saved the lives of many heart attack victims like Jim Smith of East Moline.  He was in cardiac arrest by the time he arrived at the Illini Campus a year ago.  Today, he has minimal heart damage because he was able to have his blocked artery opened so quickly. 

"Illini delivers excellent cardiac care in an emergency, and this has had a very positive effect on the surrounding community," says Sanjeev Puri, M.D., of Cardiovascular Medicine, P.C.  "Time is muscle.  The sooner you can get to the hospital and the faster you can get that artery opened, the better.  Study after study has shown this results in better patient outcomes - not only 30 days later but at six months, one year and even a decade later.  The result is that more people are alive 10 years later because the artery was opened faster."

A New Level of Care
With about 400 procedures a year under its belt, the hospital's lab has now evolved to the next step. 

The same highly skilled cardiologists who do emergency angioplasty at Illini are now performing elective angioplasty and stent placement on patients with blocked arteries in the heart.  Before, this procedure was only offered in emergency cases.  

"We've worked very diligently with the cardiologists and the Genesis Heart Institute and have moved forward with stringent guidelines on what cases we will perform," says Sue Smith, R.N., Nurse Manager of the Cardiac Cath Lab.  "We are pleased to offer this convenience to patients needing low-to-moderate risk angioplasty."  

Offering elective angioplasty at Illini means a more coordinate system of care, with heart specialists and patients' primary care physicians working closely together, Dr. Puri adds. 

"Rather than going to another hospital, patients can receive this care close to home - in familiar surroundings and in the hospital where their family doctors have treated them for pneumonia or a broken ankle or hip.  They can be assured that the same high-volume cardiologists who perform the high-risk procedures will be doing these elective angioplasties." 

Angioplasty involves opening a tiny balloon in a clogged artery to improve blood flow.  A stent, or a small metal coil, keeps the artery propped open. 

A Milestone
The increased level of care is another milestone for Illini's seven-year-old catheterization lab.  In 1998, the $1.2 million lab opened to offer diagnostic cardiac catheterizations, which examine the heart for blockages.  Three years later, the program advanced to a new level when the state of Illinois gave Illini Campus permission to do emergency angioplasty.  In 2002, it became the first hospital in the area to perform emergency interventional catheterizations without an open-heart surgical program. 

"What this meant was that patients coming to us with an acute heart attack benefited from an earlier intervention," Sue Smith says.  "We could now offer these patients a shorter time frame to opening the artery and restoring blood flow to the heart." 

The Illini Campus has done about 40 elective angioplasties since last fall.  "Before, they might have had a stress test and an angiogram at Illini but would have to go to another facility to have their angioplasty," she adds.  "Now, if we're able to perform that procedure here, we will." 

After their heart procedure, patients can also benefit from cardiac rehabilitation.  The Illini Campus offers on-site Phase II cardiac rehabilitation and the People Utilizing Life-Saving Exercise, or PULSE, program at the Two Rivers YMCA in Moline.  Heart patients - in addition to older adults, women and people at increase risk of developing heart disease - benefit from the medically supervised program. 

Patients who enroll in cardiac rehabilitation reduce their risk of future heart attack, sudden death or reoccurring coronary artery disease.  "Scientific studies have shown that cardiac rehab after angioplasty and after heart attack decreases risk of future hospitalizations for angina and improves quality of life," Dr. Puri says.  "It leads to fewer procedures in the future." 

-- Story by Linda Barlow, Genesis