Four years of performing emergency primary angioplasty at SKMC

The Cardiac Sciences department at SKMC is the only cardiac department that offers emergency primary angioplasty services in the UAE since was it was initially offered in December 2004.

SKMC is owned and operated by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Along with SKMC vision to be the healthcare provider of choice through offering a diverse and integrated set of world - class medical services, the Cardiac Sciences Department have established a unique and distinctive service to patients with myocardial infarction; a 24/7 primary angioplasty service for ST elevation MI patients. Primary angioplasty implies that any patient presenting to Emergency Department with 'ST elevation myocardial infarction', which is a type of a heart attack that can lead to significant mortality rate and significant adverse events if not dealt with in a timely fashion, should be taken directly from the emergency department to cardiac catheterization suite to perform cardiac catheterization and open the occluded artery causing the heart attack without any delay.

Dr. Norbert Augustin, Chair of Cardiac Sciences stated that "SKMC is proud to announce that it is the only center in the country and the Middle East to provide primary angioplasty service 24 hours a day to all patients presenting with ST elevation myocardial infarction to our Emergency Department".

Dr. Wael Al Mahmeed, Head of Adult Cardiology Department and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, explained that "The benefit of performing emergency primary angioplasty in the reduction of short and long term adverse outcomes has been well demonstrated in several clinical studies and trials. According to World Health Organization (WHO), ST elevation myocardial infarction is a public health problem in Industrial countries and is becoming a significant problem in developing countries. Furthermore, performing an immediate angiography leads to identifying the exact underlying anatomy, subsequently guide further therapies without any delay and improve heart function in the long term. In addition, primary angioplasty has been the first choice for the management of sufferers from 'ST elevation myocardial infarction' in tertiary care centers according to American and European practice guidelines".

Dr. Nazar Albustani head of cardiac catheterization and Deputy Head of Adult Cardiology said:

"Since December 2004, we have performed at least 5500 diagnostic cardiac catheterization with the rate of therapeutic cardiac catheterization being at least 60% of the total. Out of these, we have performed 1044 primary angioplasties for ST elevation myocardial infarction type of heart attacks."

"In the setting of 'ST elevation myocardial infarction' type of heart attack, it has been well documented from various clinical trials that time is muscle which implies that with each one minute delay in opening the culprit blocked coronary artery, more heart muscle is affected. According to well documented clinical studies and American guidelines, in order for primary angioplasty to be effective, the door to balloon time has to be less than 90 minutes in average which means that the interval time between the minute the patient arrives our emergency department to the time the blocked artery is opened has to be less than 90 minutes", Dr. Albustani added. "As part of our continuous efforts to maintain excellence in the delivery of emergency cardiovascular care to our community, we are pleased that we have consistently achieved an average 'door to balloon time' of less than 90 minutes during the past four years".

About the Department of Cardiac Sciences at SKMC
The Department of Cardiac Sciences is an ultra-modern, state of the art, all inclusive center of excellence providing cardiac services and specialties including Non-invasive Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Electrophysiology, and Cardiac Surgery. The Department consists of seven (7) Divisions including Adult and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Adult and Pediatric Cardiology, Adult and Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care; and Cardiac Anesthesiology.

The division of adult cardiology has distinguished itself in region in providing 24/7 primary angioplasty, electronic reporting solutions in invasive and non-invasive cardiology, and Electrophysiology studies and ablations. It is a testament to the commitment of SKMC, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company - SEHA and Cleveland Clinic to champion the on-going development of an accessible, comprehensive, sustainable, and fully integrated continuum of care for the population of the UAE.