WHEN PEOPLE & TECHNOLOGY CAN SAVE LIVES

Risk factors for heart disease include smoking, having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease. If you fall into one or more of those categories, or have had an EKG that indicates an echocardiogram may be necessary, ask your physician to refer you to Tri-State’s Imaging & Women’s Diagnostic Center.

Why Cut When You Can CT?

The 64-slice volumetric CT scanner in use at Tri-State Memorial Hospital allows some patients to avoid invasive diagnostic procedures entirely.

This state-of-the-art technology provides a three-dimensional image in seconds, compared to several minutes, which also means diagnosis can occur much quicker than normal. The scanner provides detailed pictures of the body and its organs, thanks to X-ray beams that rotate 360 degrees around the patient. Hundreds of images can be captured in seconds, which is a great deal quicker than much of the current CT technology employed across the country and around the region.

Cardiology is a good example of how patients can avoid invasive diagnostic procedures by use of the CT scanner. Instead of having to be sedated for a traditional invasive angiogram, the patient can be alert and awake the entire time.

Special software allows for four-dimensional images to be secured, and in many cases cardiologists and radiologists will be able to diagnose heart maladies within 10 minutes.

When Minutes Count

The Cardiac Level 1 Program connects Tri-State Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Room with the advanced cardiac care available at Providence Sacred Heart in Spokane. The process begins when a patient with a suspected heart attack arrives at their local emergency room.

As a Cardiac Level 1 Partner, Tri-State’s Emergency Room experts make sure the patient receives treatment fast, while simultaneously directing medical information and coordinating transport to Providence Sacred Heart.

The goal is to provide the fastest and most beneficial treatment to heart attack patients with blocked arteries. Statewide, it is expected that a heart attack victim have an EKG within 10 minutes. The average response time at Tri-State is four minutes. It requires strong coordination at every step, but it all begins with quick decision-making by emergency room physicians in rural hospitals.