“Door-to-balloon time”

Since the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute opened in 2003, heart attack patients treated at Central Maine Medical Center have had quick, around-the-clock access to life-saving emergency cardiac care. “Quick” is the operative word: In the spring of 2007, the Maine Quality Forum indicated that Central Maine Medical Center had the fastest “door-to-balloon time” of any cardiac center in Maine. “Door-to-balloon time” is the time it takes for cardiologists to open blocked blood vessels and stop heart attacks using an advanced interventional procedure called cardiac angioplasty.

CMHVI’s fast response times result not only from the excellent work of the cardiac catheterization team and the CMMC Emergency Department Chest Pain Center, but also because of the contributions of area EMS organizations. Numerous rescue squads in central and western Maine have completed training in cardiac assessment and are qualified to activate the cardiac response system at CMMC-CMHVI. As the activating transport team moves a patient to CMMC, preparations are already underway to receive, evaluate and treat the patient – saving precious minutes that can make the critical difference in saving a life and reducing the potential damage caused by a heart attack.