Daily Record - Morris County - Morristown, Newton, St.... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 10/1/2006
Last Visited: 10/1/2006
However, if distances are about equal, and you know one hospital offers emergency angioplasty, while another offers only drug therapy for heart attack and heart failure, then you should choose the one that offers angioplasty, because that treatment is superior if it can be done quickly and effectively, said Lawrence Blitz, the chairman of the cardiology department at Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pequannock.
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St. Clare's Hospital performs about 75 to 80 emergency angioplasties per year, Ratcliffe said, while Chilton Memorial has performed about 79 emergency angioplasties since it received its license to do the procedure in June 2005, according to Blitz.
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Blitz stressed that people should not hesitate to go to the emergency room immediately if they feel that something is not right.
"Time is muscle.The more time you waste, the more heart muscle dies," he said.
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Recommended treatment ratings still have some validity despite documentation issues, said Blitz of Chilton Memorial Hospital.
"If one place consistently (scores) better than another place, there is something to be said there," he said.
One thing Chilton has done to improve quality of patient treatment is to educate every hospital caregiver, from nurses to physicians to social workers, about correct protocols, Blitz said.
"We don't leave it to one specific person to make sure it's perfect," he said.