A LIFE-SAVING treatment that delivers clot-busting drugs to heart attack victims before they reach hospital has boosted the survival rate for people in regional and rural areas to that of their metropolitan peers.
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A study assessing the effectiveness of the first five years of the Hunter-pioneered Pre-Hospital Thrombolysis (PHT) program, which uses a smartphone to allow paramedics to consult with a cardiologist before administering specialised treatment, shows the survival rate of patients is 93 per cent, one year on. This is on par with city patients, who live close to major hospitals equipped with cardiac resources.
The program saved lives by reducing time and distance for patients, essential for the treatment of acute heart attacks, John Hunter cardiologist Andrew Boyle said.
“Time equals muscle,” Professor Boyle said.
“The quicker you get the blocked artery open, the better the chances are of salvaging heart muscle that is dying, minute by minute.”
Using PHT means treatment can begin immediately.
“If the artery is blocked for more than six hours, most of the damage is already done,” Professor Boyle said.
“In many areas of our district, patients are six hours away from the major cardiac treating facility, which is the John Hunter Hospital.
“Delivering clot-dissolving drugs up front in the ambulance at the onset of a heart attack significantly improves a patient’s chances of survival.”
PHT pioneer Peter Fletcher, a John Hunter senior staff specialist, said the study showed adverse factors, which had led to poorer outcomes for heart attack patients outside metropolitan areas, could be overcome.
“It has saved many lives and will save many more in years to come,” Professor Fletcher said.
The results of the study are published in the August edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.
The PHT protocol was developed with the support of Hunter New England Health, NSW Ambulance, Hunter Medical Research Institute and Newcastle University.
