DALLAS, March 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline program is featured on the First Responder Network's new WebTV series, "Code STEMI". The series, launched this month, highlights the passion of the people involved in Mission: Lifeline and the work they do to save the lives of heart attack patients. Additional footage, interviews with national Mission: Lifeline staff and volunteers and a link to the series can be viewed at www.codestemi.tv
Every year, more than 250,000 people suffer an ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI, the deadliest type of heart attack. A STEMI is caused by sudden and prolonged blockage of the blood supply to the heart. It carries a substantial risk of death and disability and calls for a quick response by many people.
"Code STEMI" is a reality-based documentary series that examines the need for STEMI systems of care, highlighting successful regional systems that are part of the Mission: Lifeline program. The first episode of the series, now showing, features some of the unique challenges of the rural STEMI systems being developed throughout South Dakota. In the second episode to premiere in mid-March, a look at the Dearborn, Michigan, STEMI system focuses on forging partnerships in an urban setting.
In the third episode to run in late March, National Mission: Lifeline chairman Chris Granger, M.D., and colleagues from Duke University discuss the vision of Mission: Lifeline drawing from their experiences in the development of North Carolina's RACE STEMI system.
Granger said enormous improvements in care have been made through Mission: Lifeline over the past five years but there's still work to do and opportunities to address. He hopes that as others see the success of Mission: Lifeline portrayed in "Code STEMI", they'll realize the impact they can make in their own community.
"Our national healthcare system is fragmented, especially with regard to emergency medical services and networks of regional hospitals.
Evidence indicates that having systems of care in place makes a difference, but it's not something any of us can do alone," Granger said.
"With help from local hospitals and healthcare providers, policymakers and with the engagement of paramedics and EMS leadership we have the opportunity to build these integrated systems to further shorten the time to treatment for these deadly heart attacks and save the lives of thousands of more people each year."
About 580 community-based STEMI systems are now registered with the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline, representing coverage of nearly 60 percent of the U.S. population. To learn more about how Mission: Lifeline can make a difference in your community, visit: www.heart.org/missionlifeline.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
QI12 – 1001 (M:L Code STEMI)
Additional resources, including multimedia, are available on the right of this link:
http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/_prv-american-heart-association-s-mission-229949.aspx
The American Heart Association logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=9940