LVH–Schuylkill Reaccredited as Chest Pain Center

Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Schuylkill received Chest Pain Center Reaccreditation from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) by demonstrating wide-ranging expertise and a deep commitment to providing exceptional care to patients with cardiac symptoms.

"Earning a Chest Pain Center reaccreditation reflects the exceptional commitment of our colleagues. Their skill and dedication ensure every patient receives timely, expert and lifesaving care,” says Eric Elgin, MD, Chief of Cardiology, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute. “This reaccreditation offers our community the reassurance that they are in trusted hands, where excellence is not just a standard, but a promise."

Accredited Chest Pain Centers must meet or exceed ACC’s strict criteria and participate in a rigorous on-site evaluation that gauges a hospital’s ability and preparedness to evaluate, diagnose and determine the best treatment for patients experiencing chest pain.

Along with an on-site evaluation, hospitals also must participate in a comprehensive clinical process that involves:

• Assessing if benchmarks are being met
• Examining standardized care practices and if variances exist
• Developing an action plan
• Monitoring for sustained success
• Having an on-site expert to assist with continuous improvement and education

Accredited hospitals must have an organized team of doctors, nurses, clinicians and other administrative staff who support efforts leading to better patient education and improved patient outcomes.

Chest Pain Center accredited hospitals are better prepared to treat patients with cardiac complaints. 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 non-surgical 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 stopping 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.