Doha, 22 October 2023: The Ambulance Service team at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and doctors from HMC’s Heart Hospital have successfully helped save the life of a patient who had a life-threatening emergency. The patient, who suffered from a sudden heart attack, was rescued by HMC’s highly dedicated paramedic and medical teams in a record time through their joint efforts and professional approach to work.
Upon receiving the emergency call, an ambulance unit quickly reached the patient's location from the nearest ambulance dispatch point within a record time of 8 minutes from call receipt.
The patient was experiencing chest pains, and while the ambulance team was managing the situation, the patient went into a state of unconsciousness and his breathing and heartbeat stopped. Three electrical shocks were administered to safely revive the pulse. The patient was then given standard treatments for such emergency cases and promptly transferred to the Heart Hospital's Emergency Department.
Mr. Ali Darwish, Assistant Executive Director of the Ambulance Service, explained that these are the standard procedures for such cases, emphasizing the importance of rapid response to emergencies while providing exceptional care to heart patients and other emergency cases. “Assessment and care for patients with critical heart conditions must be carried out swiftly by the ambulance team. Our paramedics receive high-level professional training to ensure excellent care for patients with cardiac emergencies,” he noted.
Mr. Darwish also mentioned that the care for patients with cardiac emergencies usually include cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of defibrillators. Additionally, electrocardiography (ECG) is conducted in the ambulance for critical cases and the results are simultaneously sent to the emergency department at the Heart Hospital for assessment and immediate treatment upon the patient's arrival at the hospital.
Dr. Nidal Asaad, CEO and Medical Director of HMC’s Heart Hospital, explained that the patient's condition is currently stable. “Upon his arrival at the Heart Hospital’s Emergency Department, the patient immediately underwent a cardiac catheterization, a procedure performed for critical and urgent cases that require rapid intervention. Our expert teams are equipped with the necessary technologies and facilities and are always on standby to handle complex cases transferred by Ambulance Service according to the highest international standards,” said Dr. Asaad.
Dr. Asaad said that the Heart Hospital offers rapid access to care for cardiac catheterization cases and has one of the best recorded times in this field in medical institutions worldwide. “The ambulance team sends the ECG data to the Heart Hospital, and once the diagnosis is confirmed, the cardiac catheterization team is activated, and the catheterization room is prepared to receive the patient immediately upon arrival. In some of the most complex cases, the catheterization, intensive care, anesthesia, and cardiac surgery teams are all ready and awaiting the patient before his arrival. The average time from the arrival of patients with a heart attack to the opening of the blocked artery through catheterization is approximately 46 minutes. In this patient's case, the artery was opened within only 25 minutes of his arrival at the hospital. Last year, our teams performed approximately 1100 emergency cardiac catheterizations for critical and urgent cases that required rapid intervention. This service continued uninterrupted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the past years,” added Dr. Assad.
The Qatari patient, Mr. Ali Al Rahma Al-Marri, had suffered a medical emergency while at Al-Rayyan TV last Thursday, which required calling the ambulance service to rescue him. His condition has stabilized, and he continues to be monitored at the Heart Hospital under the supervision of a specialized medical team.
Mr. Al-Marri expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Hamad Medical Corporation, the Ambulance Service team, and to the Heart Hospital’s medical, nursing, and allied health teams for their excellent care. Their immediate response to his situation and their high level of professionalism and competence that rivals global standards contributed to saving his life.