White Horse hotel owner Bradley Warren suffered a severe heart attack in late October. His life was saved by the on-call cardiac cath lab team. The team have saved countless lives since their first year of 24/7 operations.
Bendigo Health’s cardiac cath lab service has saved countless lives in its first year of around-the-clock operations.
In October 2020, the cath lab commenced an on-call service on the weekend, becoming a 24/7 service.
The team have been called in 109 times on weekends for the most severe heart attacks, known as ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI.
Twenty five of these 109 patients arrived by air ambulance.
Bendigo Health clinical director of cardiology, Dr Voltaire Nadurata said these patients came from all over the state, as far north as Deniliquin and further and as far west as Casterton on the SA border.
“We’re treating more severe heart attacks on the weekends and out of hours than during business hours. This service is saving lives,” he said.
Bendigo publican Bradley Warren is one of those people whose life was recently saved by the service.
Bradley presented to Bendigo Health Emergency Department (ED) in the early hours of Halloween with severe chest pain.
He had a cardiac arrest in ED and was taken to the cath lab and treated by the on-call team.
"I have an overwhelming feeling of gratitude that I am still here," he said.
"Maybe we are people who have gone through life as a smoker or a drinker. Maybe we've been too scared to go to a doctor and find out what damage we've done.
"This [heart attack] brought it all to the surface for me. I had to confront everything."