Accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI
We are recognized by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) as an Accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI. We are the first and only hospital in the New Orleans area to achieve this level of accreditation from the ACC.
This accreditation means we are better equipped, trained and staffed to care for you in case of a heart attack. Patients who arrive at our ER with symptoms of a heart attack are treated according to quality-of-care measures that are proven to achieve better patient outcomes.
More than 730,000 Americans will experience a heart attack each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And one in four of those victims will have a severe enough heart attack to require PCI to open clogged arteries and restore blood flow to the heart.
The PCI designation means that we use a specialized treatment called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)—also known as coronary angioplasty—as the primary treatment for acute heart attacks. PCI is a non-surgical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries with a balloon to relieve symptoms of heart disease or reduce heart damage during or after a heart attack. We strive to ensure patients experiencing an acute heart attack receive rapid treatment in the cardiac catheterization lab to minimize damage to the heart muscle.
Accredited chest pain centers have met or exceeded specific criteria and completed a comprehensive onsite review by accreditation specialists. This accreditation affirms a higher level of expertise in the care of patients with symptoms of a heart attack, which improves patient outcomes.
Criteria for accreditation
To qualify for the PCI designation, a hospital must show its expertise and commitment to quality by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria, including:
- Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical service and pre-hospital providers
- Quickly assessing, diagnosing and treating patients
- Continually improving treatment processes and procedures
- Effectively treating patients considered “low risk” for acute heart conditions and no assignable cause for their symptoms
- Ensuring hospital personnel have a high level of competency and training
- Maintaining organizational structure and commitment to a Chest Pain Center
- Designing functional spaces that promote the best patient care
- Developing and supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to call 911 if they experience symptoms of a possible heart attack
Early recognition of heart attack symptoms is a vital part of care. If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, please don’t wait—call 911 immediately.