If you have a heart attack in northeast Georgia, first responders and care teams are now better prepared to save your life thanks to information presented by nationally-recognized experts, Drs. Benjamin S. Abella and Michael C. Kontos, at the 7th Annual Northeast Georgia Regional STEMI Summit, the largest conference of its kind in the state.
Hosted each year by Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC), the Northeast Georgia Regional STEMI Summit brings together paramedics, EMS staff, nurses and doctors from across the state. They meet to discuss the state of the Northeast Georgia Regional STEMI System – a collaborative effort between Northeast Georgia Medical Center, 13 regional hospitals and EMS in 17 counties across the region to provide fast and efficient treatment of a severe heart attack known as STEMI (ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction).
“A STEMI heart attack is the most dangerous type of heart attack,” says J. Jeffrey Marshall, MD, an interventional cardiologist with The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center and medical director of Cardiac Catheterization Labs at NGMC.
“These types of heart attacks are the cause of death for one in four Americans. Pre-hospital care is critical for these patients, and the STEMI Summit provides an excellent opportunity for first responders and care teams to receive the most up-to-date information about ways they can increase a patient’s chances of survival.”
In its seventh year, the STEMI Summit continues to attract distinguished keynote speakers and large crowds. In addition to notable speakers and engaging breakout sessions, a portion of the STEMI Summit featured two cardiac arrest and STEMI survivors, Steve Garland and Sondra Cochran, who were reunited with their care teams.
“It’s very moving to see the patients and their families re-connect outside a medical setting,” says Mohak Davé, MD, chief of Emergency Medicine at NGMC and medical director for Georgia Region II EMS. “We are fortunate to live in a region with EMS personnel who deliver exceptional pre-hospital care to STEMI, stroke and cardiac arrest patients.”
Learn more about the STEMI Summit by visiting www.nghs.com/heart or calling 770-219-3840.
Photo: Sondra Cochran, (front row, center) STEMI survivor, is reunited with her care team at the 2015 STEMI Summit.
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2015 STEMI Summit Keynote Speakers:
- Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, FAHA –
Medical Director, Coronary Intensive Care Unit
Director, Chest Pain Evaluation Center
Associate Professor, Internal Medical (Cardiology)
Pauley Heart Center
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Benjamin S. Abella, MD, MPhil –
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine
Clinical Research Director, Center for Resuscitation Science
Associate Director, Center for Resuscitation Science
Associate Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Vice Chair of Research, Department of Emergency Medicine
ABOUT NORTHEAST GEORGIA MEDICAL CENTER
Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) is rated Georgia’s #1 heart hospital for the tenth year in a row (2006-2015).