UVM teams up with CVPH for heart attack protocols

According to the CDC, about 790,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. That means almost every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack. UVM doctors say with so many diagnoses, it's important that all hospitals follow the same protocol to treat patients.

The hospital teamed up with CVPH in Plattsburgh to create guidelines for responding to and treating heart attacks across our region. It means even if the hospitals aren't in the UVM Medical Center's network, all hospitals across Vermont and New York state follow the same procedures.

Dr. Harold Dauerman says the stent treatment they've used since 2007 is now the standard process.

"Now that we have a formal arrangement with Plattsburgh, we can come up with one algorithm of care that covers this entire region so every patient and nurse attending knows what is happening 24-7 days a week," he said.

The new system went into place the beginning of 2018.