LVH–Carbon Earns Chest Pain Center Accreditation From American College of Cardiology

Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Carbon, part of Jefferson Health, is accredited as a chest paint center by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) for demonstrating expertise in treating patients with heart attack symptoms. 

Accredited chest pain centers must meet or exceed ACC guidelines and participate in a comprehensive on-site evaluation that determines a hospital’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and determine the best treatment for patients experiencing chest pain, the most common symptom of heart attacks for men and women.

“In an emergency, every moment matters, and our colleagues have demonstrated their expertise, and collaboration saves lives when every second counts,” says Bob Begliomini, PharmD, MBA, President, Jefferson Health–Lehigh Valley Region.  “I am incredibly proud of each colleague who works at LVH–Carbon, because this designation is a direct result of their commitment to exceptional, lifesaving care.” 

To earn chest pain center accreditation, hospitals must complete a detailed review process that examines current practices, addresses potential gaps in care, and follows proven guidelines for treating chest pain and heart attack symptoms. Accredited hospitals also have a dedicated team of clinicians working to improve patient education and outcomes. 

Chest pain centers streamline care at every stage, including admission, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment and post-discharge care. Clinicians also provide guidance to help patients reduce future heart risks.

Chest pain center accredited hospitals are better prepared to treat patients with heart-related emergencies. They have a team of well-educated physicians, nurses and hospital staff who can rapidly and efficiently provide lifesaving care with evidence-based and standardized methods. This reduces a patient’s length of stay, decreases readmissions and sustains consistent process improvements with the overall goal of improving patient outcomes.

Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute consistently delivers exceptional care to those facing a heart emergency. Its team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons is the most experienced in the region and is consistently ranked among the best in the nation for heart attack survival. 

Experts at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute can treat heart attacks quickly thanks in part to the rapid heart attack care program MI Alert for Heart Attacks. This program allows us to partner with local emergency responders who can quickly diagnose heart attacks, so treatment is ready when a patient arrives at the hospital. 

We also provide leading-edge, lifesaving treatments for serious cardiac conditions like ST-elevated myocardial infarctions (STEMI). Some of these treatments include percutaneous coronary intervention, temporary mechanical support and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Percutaneous coronary intervention is a nonsurgical procedure used to treat narrowing of the coronary arteries of the heart found in coronary artery disease. In heart attack cases, this procedure opens blocked vessels to restore blood flow to the heart and stops the heart attack.

ECMO is a treatment where a machine pumps blood outside your body, adds oxygen to it and returns it to your body.  Temporary mechanical support is a procedure that takes over some of the work of the heart to help sustain bodily function and allow the heart to recover.