Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Methodist Hospital Recognized Nationally for Commitment to Quality Heart Attack Care

For the first time, Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline regional STEMI achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid research-based care to people across the region experiencing an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most severe form of heart attack.

Achieving Mission: Lifeline regional recognition includes a commitment to high-quality systems of care among STEMI receiving centers, STEMI referring centers, 911 EMS agencies and other supporting system participants through collaborative efforts, including interfacility transport agencies and quality improvement priorities.

“Through our collaboration with critical access hospitals and EMS agencies throughout rural Iowa, Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital has improved the quality processes for the region,” said Julie Buckelew, MSN, RN, CCRN, the campus manager for cardiology and pulmonary services at Methodist Physicians Clinic in Council Bluffs. “This collaboration, education and ongoing feedback demonstrate the system of care required to meet national guidelines.” 

Jennie Edmundson accomplished a median door-to-balloon (D2B) time of 41 minutes (the national guideline is less than 90 minutes); a median first medical contact-to-balloon (FMC2B) time – if the patient is less than 45 minutes from the hospital – of 67 minutes (the national guideline is less than 90 minutes); and a median FMC2B time for referring facilities more than 45 minutes away of 115 minutes (the national guideline is less than 120 minutes).

Jennie Edmundson and Methodist Hospital also received the following Get With The Guidelines and Mission: Lifeline achievement awards from the American Heart Association:

Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital

• Mission: Lifeline^® NSTEMI Gold
• Mission: Lifeline^® STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus

Methodist Hospital

• Mission: Lifeline^® STEMI Receiving Center Silver Plus

Each year, more than 280,000 people in the U.S. experience a STEMI, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. Nearly 40% of people who go to the emergency room with acute coronary syndrome are diagnosed with a STEMI. Like all heart attacks, this condition requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

In 2021, Methodist Hospital treated 100 STEMI patients – 46 via the Emergency Department, 15 from transfers, six from inpatient settings and 33 who experienced a STEMI in addition to what they were originally experiencing. This is the eighth time that Methodist Hospital has been recognized with a Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center award.

“Methodist Hospital is dedicated to providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art cardiac care, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps us achieve that goal,” said Charles Olson, MD, an interventional cardiologist with Methodist Physicians Clinic. “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis so patients have the best possible chance of survival.”

Mission: Lifeline is a national, community-based initiative improving systems of care for patients experiencing STEMI, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), stroke and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The program focuses on streamlining processes to speed up the delivery of proper treatment for time-sensitive neurocardiovascular disease states.

Recognition as a Mission: Lifeline Receiving Center is designed to showcase hospitals that provide 24/7 support for STEMIs. These important facilities coordinate with a network of referring hospitals and emergency medical services to provide guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care. The facilities also demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for STEMI care as outlined by the American Heart Association.