KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Sunway Medical Centre Velocity (SMCV) has announced the establishment of a STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction) network with doctors in the surrounding area of the hospital to provide faster and more immediate treatment for patients exhibiting severe heart attack symptoms.
With cardiovascular diseases still the leading cause of death in Malaysia, it is important to provide systems of care so that the patient receives more timely treatment for a better outcome and recovery.
At the virtual launch event recently, themed “Every Second Counts”, SMCV shared that the STEMI network will provide doctors within a 10-15km radius of the hospital the ability to direct their patients to SMCV so they can fully utilise the facilities available. Currently, there are a total of 101 clinics who are a part of this network.
Sharing at the event was Dr Foo Yoke Long, consultant cardiologist and internal medicine specialist at SMCV, who explained, “When proper treatment is administered quickly, functions of other important organs in the body such as the brain can be preserved and provide a better outcome for the patient. Some patients may not even know that they are experiencing such a dangerous situation, so for us to minimise the time from diagnosis to treatment through this STEMI network will save lives.”
The event featured a line-up of consultants from SMCV, including Dr Tee Chee Hian, consultant cardiologist and internal medicine specialist, Dr Hardip Singh, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, and Dr Wee Tong Ming, consultant emergency physician and medical director.
Guest speakers included Dr How Ann Kee, consultant cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist from Sunway Medical Centre (Sunway City) and Dr Asri Ranga, consultant cardiologist and internal medicine specialist from Serdang Hospital, which is also the cardiac referral centre for public hospitals in the state.
“Due to the current circumstances, some patients may feel more comfortable with consulting with their local GPs first, who may not have access to the right tools to treat severe heart attacks<” said Dr Wee.
“After receiving the diagnosis from the GP, it is crucial to initiate treatment in the shortest time frame possible and direct them to a hospital that can carry out procedures such as angioplasty to prevent the situation from progressing too far. Therefore, we intend to build a stronger network with these doctors so we can work closer together to aid patients in receiving the urgent and immediate care required in such circumstances,” he added.
Through this network, as soon as a participating doctor identifies the patient’s symptoms, the doctors have a direct line to SMCV’s 24-hour STEMI Network hotline (03-97729111 / 019-3779191), and can inform them of the incoming patient so the consultants can be on standby.
This preparatory period will shorten the time between diagnosis and treatment and will involve several steps beginning with diagnosis from the doctor.
They will then be directed to SMCV’s emergency department for further diagnosis or emergency treatment, and the Cathlab for intervention if needed.
This network will be available 24 hours every day, so these doctors will have access to these lifesaving facilities such as the Emergency Department, cardiologists and can also activate the ambulance service where necessary, at any time.
Sunway Medical Centre Velocity is located at Lingkaran SV, Sunway Velocity. For enquiries, please contact 03-9772 =9191 or email [email protected]. For more information on Sunway Medical Centre Velocity, visit www.sunmedvelocity.com.my or Sunway Medical Velocity on Facebook.
