Facility achieves average door-to-balloon time of 42 minutes
West Hills Hospital & Medical Center, a full-service acute care facility, has achieved the best average "door-to-balloon" response time in Los Angeles County for 2018.
Door-to-balloon response time refers to the length of time it takes a health care facility to stabilize a heart attack patient, from the moment the patient arrives at the emergency room door to the moment the hospital's cardiac catheterization laboratory staff use a "balloon" to unblock the artery that is causing the heart attack.
Guidelines established by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association urge health care facilities to strive for door-to-balloon response times of 90 minutes or less. With an average door-to-balloon time of 42 minutes, West Hills Hospital is ranked in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide.
With an average door-to-balloon time of 42 minutes, West Hills Hospital is ranked in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide.
"Quick response times are essential to improving outcomes for heart attack patients," said Ramin Farshi, M.D., medical director of the cath lab at West Hills Hospital. "We are extremely proud of our fast ER wait times and efficient door-to-balloon process. Our cath lab team works closely with emergency medical services, the emergency department and hospital staff to ensure every single minute is put to the best possible use."
As a Joint Commission certified Chest Pain Center, West Hills Hospital is prepared 24/7 to provide specialized, emergency cardiac care.