45°
When a heart attack strikes, the chances of irreparable damage increase by the minute. Thanks to a program championed by Dr. Charles Augenbraun, patients can receive lifesaving treatment faster than ever before. The Wilton resident is Norwalk Hospital's chief of cardiology.
Time is muscle, Augenbraun said in his office at Cardiology Associates of Fairfield County on Cross Street. The adage is true. When a blockage occurs and causes a heart attack, the blood- and oxygen-starved tissue begins to die.
If you can open that blocked vessel in 60 to 90 minutes, a lot of the damage can be avoided and reversed, said Augenbraun. The cells of the heart muscle aren't like those of the skin. Once the cells die, they scar but do not regenerate.
Norwalk Hospital doctors can now use emergency angioplasty, also known as primary angioplasty for myocardial infarction or PAMI, to open blocked vessels faster.
Augenbraun was one of the leaders in instituting the PAMI program at the hospital. He supported implementing the protocols and procedures to help speed treatment from the moment an ambulance reaches the patient. Paramedics can now send the electrocardiogram directly from the ambulance to the emergency department. When the patient arrives, the diagnostic process can already be under way and saving significant time.
Cardiology attracted Augenbraun for its mix of diagnostic medicine and life-saving procedures. He works out of the Cross Street office, where patients come for checkups, diagnosis and follow-up care.
Augenbraun estimates PAMI saved 65 lives in its first year at the hospital and is on track for similar results in the second. The long-term prognosis for people with a successful angioplasty is excellent and they are going to live longer and better, said Augenbraun.
Click here to follow Daily Voice New Canaan and receive free news updates.
