A ROCKET CME (continued medical education) presentation on ECGs was presented last week at the Lenmed Royal Hospital & Heart Centre, Kimberley, highlighting how changes in ECGs can indicate an acute myocardial infarction - or, more recently, an occlusive myocardial infarction. Due to the launch of our prehospital fibrinolysis program at our Northern Cape base, we are running a great deal of training on the ECG in OMI.
Fibrinolytics are clot-busting medications used to prevent cardiac arrest in patients with clots in the coronary arteries, which block blood supply to the heart muscle. Due to the lengthy transit times in the Northern Cape and Free State, we have developed partnerships with several centres in the region that are capable of performing coronary angiography to provide this time-sensitive treatment to the patient before arrival at the hospital.
To ensure only the correct patients receive treatment, we use strict guidelines and safety measures, as well as online guidance from Cardiologists in specialist centres in the Free State and Northern Cape.
Our goal is to provide the highest level of care for cardiac patients at home and while being airlifted to medical facilities.