What is a STEMI heart attack?
A STEMI heart attack is a serious form of heart attack that is typically caused by a complete obstruction of a coronary artery. The abbreviation stands for "ST-elevation myocardial infarction" and is diagnosed by an elevated ST wave on the EKG reading. STEMI heart attacks require rapid diagnosis and are best treated by emergency angioplasty and/or stent placement.
Our STEMI Response System
Each year, more than half a million Americans experience ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and/or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (the heart stops beating). Intermountain Heart Institute is a receiving center for patients with STEMI heart attack and provides emergency angioplasty and/or stent placement. Our interventional cardiologists rotate "STEMI call" so that expert care is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Intermountain Heart Institute is an integral part of the larger STEMI and cardiac resuscitation system of care that exists in our community. We meet regularly with community EMS and outlying emergency departments to ensure patients are identified and transferred to our center as rapidly as possible.
EMS Teams
The EMS teams we work with are trained to recognize STEMI heart attacks and provide life-saving care at the scene and on route to the hospital. This includes taking an EKG and direct communication with cardiologists at Intermountain Heart Institute.
Outlying Emergency Departments
When patients arrive at one of our emergency departments, they go through a rapid intake process carefully designed to quickly identify STEMI heart attacks. Specialty care can be provided with rapid transport from LDS Hospital, Alta View Medical Center, Riverton Hospital, or Park City Medical Center to Intermountain Heart Institute. Our heart attack response times, including transport from our sister hospitals to intervention in the our cath lab, are well below national averages and benchmarks.