The Medical Center at Bowling Green receives American College of Cardiology Accreditation
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The American College of Cardiology has announced it is recognizing The Medical Center at Bowling Green for its expertise and commitment in treating chest pain.
According to a release by Med Center Health on Monday, The Medical Center at Bowling Green was awarded Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Resuscitation based on rigorous onsite evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.
“We are proud to receive the ACC’s accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI and Resuscitation,” said Dr. Muhammad Akbar, M.D., FACC, FSCAI, interventional cardiologist at Med Center Health. “The Medical Center at Bowling Green has maintained accreditation with the ACC since 2007 and has continued its efforts to achieve higher levels of accreditation in an effort to bring world class standards of care to our community. This accreditation means better patient outcomes, shorter hospital stays for our patients, and a more collaborative and efficient work environment for our team. We continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our Southcentral Kentucky community receives care second to none.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 730,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. The most common symptom of a heart attack for both men and women is chest pain or discomfort. However, women are more likely to have atypical symptoms. Other heart attack symptoms include, but are not limited to, tingling or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck or jaw, shortness of breath, cold sweat, unusual tiredness, heartburn-like feeling, nausea or vomiting, sudden dizziness and fainting.
PCI is also known as coronary angioplasty, the release states, a “non-surgical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries with a balloon to relieve symptoms of heart disease or reduce heart damage during or after a heart attack.”
Hospitals with the accreditation are required to meet certain criteria, including complying with standard Chest Pain Center protocols and being equipped with a robust hypothermia program for post-cardiac arrest treatment, the release says. The release additionally states these facilities also maintain a “no diversion policy” for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.
“The Medical Center at Bowling Green has demonstrated its commitment to providing Southcentral Kentucky with excellent heart care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award The Medical Center at Bowling Green with Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation Accreditation.”
The Medical Center at Bowling Green is a 373-bed facility providing high-quality healthcare services to the area since 1926. Med Center Health says the facility performs over 1,400 PCI procedures and over 8,600 procedures within its cardiac cath lab.
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