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Chest Pain Center receives accreditation by Cindy Abole Public Relations Tri-county residents who experience chest pain or a related discomfort can be assured that by coming to MUSC, they’ll be receiving some of the best coordinated medical care available.   On Sept. 26, MUSC was designated as an accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. The recognition establishes MUSC as one of three accredited health care facilities in South Carolina. As one of 156 nationally and internationally certified programs, MUSC’s center  has the ability to quickly and accurately assess a patient’s heart problem through the critical early stages of an acute coronary event to the diagnosis and recommended treatment in a coordinated process that can save lives.   The achievement is the result of a fixed, multidisciplinary team approach to care that has dozens of staff focused on providing quality care improvements founded on evidenced-based medicine.      With the alignment of hospital leadership, clinical expertise, new protocols and technology the hiring of a full-time chest pain center coordinator and the formation of an accreditation task force were key elements to meeting accreditation. The center will also committed to health education and training.   In April, the Emergency Department’s Brian Fletcher, R.N., was named MUSC Chest Pain Center coordinator. The center’s co-medical directors are Gary Headden, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine and Peter Zwerner, M.D., Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine.     “When one mentions chest pain and the chest pain patient, most people don’t realize how many people and specialties that can be involved in the entire process,” said Fletcher. “Everyone understood what was needed to be come accredited. It took a tremendous number of committed people to make it happen.”   What Fletcher is referring to are the teams of clinical experts involved in this effort. That involvement includes a range of expertise from the medical staff who admit and diagnose patients in the Emergency Department to technicians and specialty staff in the pathology lab, pharmacy, biomedical, radiology, cardiology and internal medicine.   “Everything we’ve done to get accredited is directly related to patient care,” Fletcher said. The process involved a medical culture change from determining how chest pain should be treated to evaluating improvements to care by standardizing and agreeing upon specific medical treatments and procedures. “The Emergency Department has done a good job prioritizing medical care among chest pain patients. With this accreditation, we have a new opportunity to do a better job faster and  consistently using specific targets for treatments.”   In the Chest Pain Center, teams are focused on evaluating patients prior to their arrival by performing specific tests and placing a patient’s EKG results into the hands of a specialist within a 10-minute window. It is estimated that a patient can arrive more than two hours after noticing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) symptoms. Studies have shown that if a patient with an AMI receives treatment within 70 minutes after a heart attack, the chances for saving damaged heart muscle can be minimized. Coordinating this integrated process relies on strong leadership and a committed staff dedicated to maintaining quality and excellence for the patient.         “In a process-driven program like this, it is important that we continually measure performances, evaluate feedback and recommend improvements,” said Zwerner. “Because of its patient focus, we’ll always need to refine medical and nursing practices because of our focus on evidence-based medicine.”   The program’s success also depends on outside team support from paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), specifically Charleston County EMS. As a Level 1 trauma center, MUSC already works closely with EMT staffs as the referral center for the Lowcountry’s most critically ill patients.  Chest Pain Accreditation Task Force Lynne Barber, Amanda Budak, R.N., Patrick Cawley, M.D., Carol Osmer-Draghi, R.N., Nina Epps, Sharon DeGrace, R.N., Brian Fletcher, R.N., John Feussner, M.D., Laura Gallagher, R.N., Michael Gold, M.D., Gary Headden, M.D., John Heffner, M.D., Chris Nielsen, M.D., Christine Papedea, Ph.D., Mansle Raines, Laurence Raney, M.D., Ellen Ruja, R.N., Bill Spring, Brian Vest, R.N., and Peter Zwerner, M.D. Friday, Oct. 21, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.