Dr Gehani speaking at the launch of PPCI yesterday.

By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff Reporter

The Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has become the first clinical centre in the region to provide round-the-clock and nationwide Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) Service that can save the lives of very serious heart attack patients.

Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention is a procedure carried out as an emergency treatment  by an interventional cardiologist. It has been shown to be the best possible treatment for very serious heart attack patients who need to be attended to as soon as possible.

“This is a huge advantage for Qatar, being the first nationwide programme in the region, and one of the first worldwide,” Heart Hospital Cardiology chairman Dr Abdulrazaq Gehani said at a session held to launch the service yesterday.

The programme is linked to a trans-satellite telemetry system in the HMC ambulances which provides cardiologists in the Heart Hospital with real-time 12 lead electrocardiograph (ECG) and other vital information that help take the decision whether a patient would benefit from the PPCI procedure.

“This means the Heart Hospital team is able to prepare the theatre before the patients’ arrival, saving precious time in these critical cases,” Dr Gehani said.

“For the Heart Hospital, being equipped with a 24/7 PPCI Service is a remarkable achievement and shows our commitment to providing the most appropriate and effective care to the people of Qatar. It is important to understand that the PPCI procedure is not suitable or needed for all patients,” he stressed.  

Dr Gehani explained  that the PPCI, also known as coronary angioplasty, is carried out by cardiac catheterisation, eliminating the need for surgery.

“It is used to treat narrowed or blocked arteries of the heart, usually formed due to the buildup of cholesterol. Once the paramedic crew record and transmit the patient’s ECG  to the Heart Hospital using the telemetry system installed on the ‘LifePack 15’ machines, it is transmitted to the hospital staff who make the decision whether or not an emergency angioplasty would be beneficial to  the patient.”

The official said that if required, the cardiac catheterisation suite is prepared immediately so the patient is provided with the safest and most effective care upon arrival.

“Time is a very crucial factor in our work. We often find patients suffer heart attacks early in  the morning and we wanted to make sure we were able to support them with this emergency procedure, if it would be of benefit to them, and as soon as possible. When we receive the patient’s ECG we make the decision based on the reading whether the patient needs to come to the Emergency Department or he should be transferred directly to the cardiac catheterisation suite,” he said.

The service is being run in tandem with the Critical Care Paramedics at Ambulance Service in co-ordination with the cardiologists in the Heart Hospital.

Commenting on the PPCI programme, Qatar Cardiovascular Research Centre (QCRC) executive director Sir Magdi Yacoub said: “I am thrilled that with our colleagues at the Heart Hospital, we have helped to make this service a reality for the people of Qatar.  Like much of the Middle East region, Qatar suffers from high and increasing rates of heart attacks, so this important programme will be of real benefit to patients.”

In addition to being directly beneficial to patients  across Qatar, the programme has a research aspect that is carried out by the Heart Hospital,  in conjunction with QCRC and Qatar Foundation.