STEMI Heart Attack

The most deadly type of heart attack is the ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). STEMI is a total or nearly total blockage of a coronary artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to part of the heart muscle. Lack of blood and oxygen causes that part of the heart to fail. Prompt treatment is critical to prevent permanent heart damage or death.

The University of Kansas Health System is a Chest Pain Center accredited by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. Cardiac physicians at our Regional Heart Attack Center have the expertise to treat even the most severe heart attack. They work with emergency medical service professionals to begin care as soon as you reach the hospital.

Our outcomes for heart attack patients exceed the top 10% of hospitals nationally. Our patients experience fewer complications than the national average. Our mortality rate for heart attack patients is from one-half to two-thirds that of the national standard.

Heart attack symptoms may come and go over minutes or even hours. Don’t ignore them. They can include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, cold sweat, dizziness and nausea. Men and women may have different symptoms. If you or someone you know has any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately.

Driving yourself or someone else to the emergency department may seem faster, but can cause needless delay in receiving care. When you arrive at the emergency department, a physician may not be immediately available to perform an EKG, make a diagnosis and begin proper care. 

In the ambulance, care begins right away. Emergency professionals can perform and read your EKG, send results to our emergency department and activate our STEMI team. Our team will meet the ambulance at the ED and immediately take you to our state-of-the-art cath lab to begin treatment.

We provide nonsurgical interventional procedures for STEMI heart attacks. These include coronary stents or hybrid robotic bypass surgery.

Early heart attack care helps prevent heart attack by reducing risk factors. After a heart attack, it’s even more important to reduce risk factors and avoid a second heart attack. Risk factors you can control include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, weight and smoking. Our risk reduction clinic team can help you learn and manage your risk factors for heart attack.