Can't be postponed, quick handling is a savior for heart attack patients

Illustration of a heart attack. (Freepik)

JAKARTA - A quick response in dealing with a heart attack is the main determinant of patient safety. In this condition, a delay of just a few minutes can aggravate heart muscle damage and increase the risk of death.

Heart attacks themselves account for a significant number of deaths in Indonesia, with hundreds of thousands of cases each year, including in the productive age group. The lack of public understanding of symptoms and the urgency of treatment makes many patients arrive late at health facilities.

In fact, damage to the heart muscle can begin to occur within 20-30 minutes, and every 30-minute delay can increase the risk of death by 7-10 percent.

To answer this need, a number of hospitals, including the Siloam International Hospitals network, developed a rapid treatment system for patients with chest pain or suspected heart attack. This approach refers to the principle of "time is muscle", that is, the faster the blood flow to the heart is restored, the greater the chance of heart tissue being saved.

Siloam International Hospitals Chief Medical Officer, Grace Frelita, explained that quick action is very important in determining the clinical outcome of patients.

"In patients with heart attacks, immediate action can be taken in the cath-lab if the facilities and teams are ready, so that treatment can be carried out quickly and accurately, ideally in accordance with the Door-to-Balloon Standard, which is less than 90 minutes since the first patient was treated," explained Grace in his statement to VOI, Wednesday, April 22.

He added that one of the common procedures is Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), which is a non-surgical procedure to open a blockage of the heart blood vessels using a catheter equipped with a balloon and stent.

This action is aimed at immediately restoring blood flow to the obstructed heart muscle, so that it can reduce damage to heart tissue, relieve symptoms such as chest pain, and significantly increase the patient's chances of safety and recovery.

"Therefore, the treatment of heart attack patients is indeed a bet on speed and accuracy," he said.

In practice, the cardiac emergency service system is designed to be integrated, starting from initial treatment at the emergency installation, examination of electrocardiograms (EKG) in a short time, to the readiness of medical teams and cardiac catheterization facilities that are on standby all the time.

This approach aims to ensure that patients receive medical treatment without obstacles from the first time they arrive at the hospital.

Apart from system support, access to services is also an important factor, especially in countries with large areas such as Indonesia.

"In addition to system and service support, readiness in handling heart attack patients is also supported by an extensive network of hospitals in various regions of Indonesia by providing access to standardized and integrated emergency cardiac services to obtain optimal treatment faster," said Grace.

Efforts to improve this service are expected to increase the patient's safety opportunities while improving the quality of life after treatment.

"Through quick and appropriate handling, we strive to increase the patient's safety opportunities while providing new hope for both patients and families. This response speed not only impacts the success of medical actions, but also opens a second opportunity for patients to continue living with better quality."

The public is urged to seek medical help immediately if they experience symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or discomfort in the chest area, so that treatment can be carried out as early as possible and the risk of complications can be suppressed.