Taking Excellence to Heart

Enhancing cardiac care for Northern Nevadans, accreditation from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) places Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center among the top heart attack care centers in the country.

If you or a loved one has signs of a heart attack—chest pain, sweating, fatigue, lightheadedness, or shortness of breath, timely treatment is critical. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a minimally invasive procedure to treat heart attacks.

Using cardiac catheterization, the surgeon reopens a blocked or narrowed heart artery by inflating a small balloon in the blood vessel and, in some cases, placing a tube called a stent to keep the artery open.

In December 2021, the ACC awarded Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation, its highest chest pain center designation.

“Carson Tahoe Health’s mission is to enhance the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” says Katie Folmer, RN, CEN, Specialty Designations Clinical Coordinator at Carson Tahoe. “To earn this accreditation, we reviewed data and outcomes to elevate and streamline our care processes. It also required collaboration throughout our entire health system.”

Carson Tahoe provides exceptional care for heart attacks. Demonstrating that to the ACC was an all-hands-on-deck effort by departments throughout Carson Tahoe and emergency medical services partners at the Carson City Fire Department.

“Chest Pain Center accreditation shows our commitment to provide skilled, efficient care from the moment 9-1-1 is activated or a patient with chest pain walks through our doors,” Folmer says. “We worked with emergency responders, the emergency department and cath lab teams, cardiovascular nurses, and cardiac rehabilitation providers to establish and implement evidence based standards of care for patients with heart disease.”

Chest Pain Center accreditation is an important achievement, but it’s not the end of Carson Tahoe’s continuing heart health advocacy. Carson Tahoe’s next goal is to distribute community educational resources about early heart attack care and reducing cardiovascular disease risk.

To learn more about how Carson Tahoe cares for Northern Nevadans’ hearts, visit www.carsontahoe.com/heart.