Cardiovascular Care

Cardiovascular disease is South Carolina's leading killer of both men and women in all racial and ethnic groups. During 2005, 12,693 South Carolinians died from cardiovascular disease – more than the total number of people who died from all cancers, pneumonia, influenza, and car accidents combined. Heart disease accounted for 71,503 hospitalizations in South Carolina during 2005, with a total hospitalization cost of more than $2.5 billion.

South Carolina Heart Care Alliance

The South Carolina Heart Care Alliance focuses on improving heart care in South Carolina, basing our work on three aims: creating an integrated system of regionalized acute cardiac/AMI care; improving interventional care and clinical outcomes for ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) patients through reduced door to balloon (D2B) times; and establishing a unified statewide data management system for tracking and analyzing key acute cardiac care indicators. In early 2007, with a focus on improving heart care in South Carolina, the alliance launched their first initiative, South Carolina Mission: Lifeline.

Mission: Lifeline

Average Door to Balloon Time

STEMI is a common and especially severe type of heart attack which carries a substantial risk of death or disability. It is caused by a prolonged period of blocked blood supply that affects a large area of the heart. It is estimated that approximately 28 percent of all heart attacks are STEMI.

In early 2007 the South Carolina Heart Care Alliance and South Carolina hospitals began to work on reducing the time it takes to get heart attack patients into treatment once they arrive at the emergency room. The recommended time is no more than 90 minutes. This is important because time saved equals heart muscle saved, which leads to better outcomes for the patient.

By 2010, South Carolina hospitals had reduced the average door-to-balloon time to 62 minutes. Our state now ranks third in the nation in percent of patients (92 percent) getting treatment within 90 minutes.

South Carolina Mission: Lifeline is a collaborative partnership including the South Carolina Hospital Association, South Carolina Chapter of American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, South Carolina Chapter of the College of Emergency Physicians, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Office of Emergency Medical Services, all 17 of the South Carolina hospitals that provide interventional cardiac services, and patient advocates.

These results were accomplished in partnership with the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline program. The primary strategic aims for the South Carolina Mission: Lifeline program are to:

  • Create a regionalized system for STEMI care
  • Establish one call cath lab activation system in each hospital
  • Establish a unified statewide data management system for cardiac care indicators
  • Establish common clinical performance goals and standards
  • Provide a system for active learning and knowledge sharing
  • Implement a unified public relations/awareness campaign
  • Provide jointly sponsored educational programs

The American Heart Association, Health Sciences South Carolina, Mothers Against Medical Error, PHT Services, Ltd. and SCHA are all partners in this alliance. Each year they host an educational forum at SCHA to bring all of those involved in heart care together to learn how to improve their systems of care. The next annual Heart Care Alliance Educational Forum will be held on November 29, 2011.