A potentially deadly accident, heart attack or stroke can happen in a matter of moments.  And when you or a loved one makes that desperate call to 911, you want a fast response in order to save a life.

The call for help during such an event that is so significant, it can become a defining moment in a person’s life.

“Breaking my neck was the most frightening moment of my life. I am eternally grateful to the Medics who came to help me as well as the team at Blake Medical Center’s Emergency Department,” Pat Jablonski said.

The 42-year-old suffered his neck injury while surfing.  He’s one of 13 patients who are sharing their stories in Blake Medical Center’s 2010 ER Calendar.  Their stories are all different, but they all share a similar experience.

The men, women and children featured in the calendar consider themselves lucky enough to be cared for by the best EMS crews in their field— the paramedics and EMTs of Manatee County’s EMS along with Blake’s ER staff.

James Allen, 18, suffered a neck injury while playing football.

“Everything from the EMS ride to the time I spent in the Emergency Room allowed me to finish out my senior football season. Thanks to everyone who cared for me,” Allen said.

ER patients Vernon Wallingford, 66, and Norma Collins, 65, both suffered heart attacks.

“Having a heart attack is very scary. The Medics that arrived to take care of me were absolutely wonderful and the team at Blake’s Emergency Department was terrific,” Collins said.

In Wallingford’s case, he suffered a potentially deadly type of heart attack known as a STEMI.  A patient’s STEMI time is the time it takes to reestablish blood flow to the heart.

Blake is proud to provide these highly critical heart attack patients with treatment times well below the national average of 90 minutes.  Wallingford’s STEMI time was 34 minutes.

“Everything was great. Thanks to everyone doing their jobs so efficiently, I’m still here to have fun,” he said.

You can check out the ER calendar on our website at www.blakemedicalcenter.com, or call our Consult-A-Nurse hotline at 1-888-359-3552 to order one free.

Heart disease is leading cause of death in the United States, and this year alone 500,000 American women will die from cardiovascular disease.

At Blake Medical Center’s Heart Institute, we have award-winning programs and advanced technology to increase a patient’s chance of surviving a heart attack with fewer complications.

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is interrupted. This deprives the heart muscle of oxygen, causing tissue damage or tissue death.  A STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) is a deadly type of heart attack.

Time is critical to saving a STEMI patient’s life.  The American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Joint Commission have determined that a patient’s blood flow should be reestablished in 90 minutes or less from the time he or she arrives in the hospital’s emergency room.  Blake is proud to meet and very often beat that goal.

Blake is also home to the West Florida Mitral Valve Repair Center, where our highly-skilled cardiac team is able to give patients a better quality of life by often repairing rather than replacing the mitral valve.

“Here at Blake we have repair rates that are way above the national average,” said cardiothoracic surgeon and Mitral Valve Specialist Dr. Alessandro Golino.  “Currently we have a 96 percent repair rate.”

If the surgery is performed quickly enough, the patient can be returned to a normal life expectancy often without the need for anti-coagulation medication (blood thinners) or additional surgeries.

We also provide a cardiac rehabilitation and exercise program to help return patients to a healthy lifestyle after a heart attack through continued monitoring, exercise and  risk-factor modification

Blake has also received the following awards and recognitions for cardiac care:

• 100 Top Cardiovascular Hospital by Thomson Reuters
• Accredited Chest Pain Center with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) by the Society of Chest Pain Centers
• Acute Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) Designation from the Joint Commission

• Blue Distinction for Cardiac Care by Blue Cross Blue Shield

For more information about the Heart Institute, visit our website at www.blakemedicalcenter.com or call 1-877-4-HCA-DOCS (1-877-442-2362).

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