Doctors Hospital of Laredo finished an expansion project, adding eight new beds at the ICU and a cardiac rehabilitation unit to better serve patients in the community.
To become an accredited Chest Pain Center, the heart attack and stroke specialist staff at Doctors Hospital of Laredo passed a rigorous evaluation by the American College of Cardiology Accreditation Services, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving cardiovascular care at hospitals.
According to Chief Nursing Officer at Doctors Hospital of Laredo, Selvan Murugan, RN, MSN, MBA, MHA, CMSRN, FACHE, “We want to make sure we are providing consistent care and reaching the desired outcome every time. There is a process to measure how well we reach every benchmark.”
One benchmark is door-to-balloon time, which is how long it takes from patient arrival at the hospital to the completion of a revascularization intervention, such as balloon angioplasty. Chest Pain Coordinator Jessica Martinez, RN, says, “Our benchmark is 90 minutes but most of the time we are meeting that in 60 minutes. We are able to diagnose and treat patients faster, which means less damage to their heart and a better outcome.”
In addition to being a Chest Pain Center, Doctors Hospital of Laredo is the first Primary Stroke Center in Laredo and is certified by The Joint Commission, which is considered the gold standard for stroke care. A specially trained team is available 24/7 for stroke emergencies with access to a neurologist to assess patients through teleconferencing. Time is critical during a stroke, and the sooner staff can diagnose and treat a patient, the lower the risk of residual effects.
Stroke Program Coordinator Angie Salinas, RN, adds that a key initiative is community outreach, “Our focus is the prevention of stroke and heart attack. We educate the public and the schools, as well as the EMS System to teach first responders to alert us when a patient is coming with symptoms of a possible stroke.”
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Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Rehab Expansion
Earlier this year, Doctors Hospital of Laredo finished an expansion project, adding eight new beds at the ICU and constructing 4,000 square feet for a cardiac rehabilitation unit to better serve patients in the community. The cardiac rehab unit has special amenities like a walking track and exercise equipment, showers and lockers for men and women, a private conference room and increased cardiac rehab monitoring for patients recovering from a cardiac-related procedure.
Learn more about Doctors Hospital of Laredo's Cardiac Rehabilitation program >