Urgent Care Centres are similar to General Practitioners' clinics in a way that they are the first stop for patients in medical access, where patients' concerns might not warrant emergency care, but still in need of an urgent assessment. Management then are given according to the presenting symptoms or complaints, the urgency depending on the patients' needs.
In our Heart Attack Centre, we have had patients where they have been to an Urgent Care Center and were sent home after their assessments. Fair enough if that is the management that's appropriately decided.
Trying to lift my spirit up while waiting for my bus.
But what if it's not?
A heart attack patient was brought to us last night, a 66 year old male who collapsed at home. His wife and family did CPR on him till the ambulance arrived. His pulse returned after one DC shock of Ventricular Fibrillation (VF). His airway was supported, with a Glasgow Coma Score of 8, he was groaning when talked to. The family reported of the patient going to the Urgent Care Centre earlier in the day for a history of a few days of slight chest pains. He was sent home with painkillers.
This was not the first time that we have had patients in this situation. That when they were brought to us, they were so unwell, with some patients not making it.
Chest pains, indigestion pains, neck pains, jaw pains, Left shoulder/arm pains
** Any patient who have any of the above symptoms can be having a heart attack. As these have been reported by almost all of our heart attack patients that we have had throughout the years.
Some individuals do disregard some of these symptoms, may they be patients or medical personnels. For medical practitioners, a lot have made misdiagnosis. Our patient above as an example.
Try to forget work after each shift.
When in doubt, send to the nearest A&E or to the Heart Attack Centre
We have had ambulance crew who were apologetic when bringing patients who were in doubt of having a heart attack. Although, some patients' ECGs aren't straight-forward ST elevation Myocardial Infarctions, IT IS ALWAYS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SURE WHEN IN DOUBT.
Let our doctors decide. The emphasis here is that, patients' symptoms need to be ruled-out from a real heart attack . Even our doctors can be in doubt sometimes, but there are other investigations and managements that are available only in a heart attack centre or if we think it can be done to the nearest A&E department, we send the patients there.
Safe practice is ruling out these symptoms from a real heart attack. This is a life saving measure and preventative from a debilitating result of a late presentation heart attack (MI).
