Stepping up the fight against heart attacks

Cardiovascular disease is the top killer in China -- the cause of two in every five deaths.

Acute myocardial infarction -- a heart attack -- is the most dangerous, local medical experts said.

The Chinese government has announced a national emergency network for acute cerebra-cardiovascular diseases, including the establishment of chest pain centers.

Zhongshan Hospital is one of the first approved chest pain centers in Shanghai and has become a model, which can quickly test for hs-cTnT -- High Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T, a biomarker for the risk of a heart attack, within 20 minutes.

“Over the past two years, Zhongshan Hospital has set up a chest pain network with six hospitals and established a mechanism for quick recognition of AMI, regular treatment, rehabilitation and patient transfer,” said Dr Qian Juying, vice president of Zhongshan Hospital.

The hospital also signed agreement with the Shanghai Medical Emergency Center to carry out training and cooperation on pre-hospital electrocardiogram transfer to perfect the green channel between ambulances and emergency departments.

The hospital said it will further improve the AMI diagnosis and treatment system to offer patients a quicker and better service.