On-call Emergency Team for the Treatment of Heart Attacks
Loyola’s Heart Attack Rapid Response Team (HARRT) includes board-certified, highly experienced interventional cardiologists, nurses and technicians, who are on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This team allows Loyola to provide life-saving emergency care to heart attack patients immediately upon arrival to the hospital.
Loyola's expert, high-volume interventional cardiologists have the experience and proficiency to ensure improved outcomes for our patients.
Our specialists achieve the national standard of restoring blood flow within 90-minutes – known as the door-to-balloon (DTB) time – 100% of the time. In fact, 89% of these procedures exceed the national standard with a DTB of 60 minutes or less.
Loyola has achieved a 15-minute door-to-balloon time, one of the fastest achieved anywhere in the country. Every minute counts, and shortening DTB time improves outcome after a heart attack.
Loyola is also part of the ACTION Registry®, a national quality improvement program that focuses specifically on the treatment of heart attack patients. Through participation in this program, Loyola helps set national standards and applies the most advanced care for our patients.
Why Choose Loyola for Heart Attack Treatment?
Loyola’s cardiology and heart surgery program is nationally recognized for our diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions. We work with you to help you understand your condition and develop a treatment plan that is right for you.
The American College of Cardiology recognized Loyola with the 2022 Platinum Performance Achievement award for providing excellent care to heart attack patients.
Recipients of this award must demonstrate exceptionally high performance when providing care to heart attack patients for eight consecutive quarters, in addition to other guidelines from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association.
What Happens When You Have a Heart Attack?
When it comes to a life-threatening heart attack, early emergency cardiac care improves patient outcomes. Loyola’s multidisciplinary team of cardiologists has expertise at recognizing heart attack symptoms and providing emergency heart care in less time than other care providers.
If you experience a heart attack, you will receive an angioplasty that clears obstruction and opens your artery, enabling improved blood flow to your heart.
Reducing the time from the onset of heart attack symptoms to receiving angioplasty treatment is a coordinated effort that begins with the paramedics who take you to the hospital.
A growing number of ambulances are equipped with a 12-lead electrocardiogram, which allows paramedics to confirm a heart attack while en route to the hospital. If a heart attack is confirmed, you are taken immediately to Loyola’s cardiac catheterization laboratory for treatment.
The amount of time from your arrival at the hospital to the time of the balloon angioplasty is called the "door-to-balloon" (D2B) time. This process is most successful if completed within 90 minutes of your arrival to the hospital.
