Aspirin on arrival

In 2009, 99 percent of heart attack survivors at Community Health Network and The Indiana Heart Hospital were administered aspirin upon arrival to the hospital unless otherwise contraindicated.

What does aspirin do for the heart?

Blood clots can block blood vessels. Aspirin can help prevent blood clots from forming or help dissolve blood clots that have formed. Following a heart attack, continued use of aspirin may help reduce the risk of another heart attack. Aspirin can have side effects like stomach inflammation, bleeding, or allergic reactions. Talk to your health care provider before using aspirin on a regular basis to make sure it’s safe for you.

To work properly, the heart muscle requires constant oxygen and nutrients, which travel through blood vessels. A narrowed blood vessel of the heart (coronary artery) reduces the oxygen and nutrient delivery to the heart. If a blood clot forms in a narrowed coronary artery, it can cut off the oxygen supply completely and cause a heart attack or myocardial infarction. Aspirin helps to prevent blood clot formation and heart attacks. Multiple research studies over the past ten years provide strong evidence that aspirin and certain platelet inhibitors (drugs that keep blood platelets from sticking together) decrease the risk of re-closing a narrowed artery (restenosis) and death after a heart attack.

According to the Joint Commission, persons with a suspected heart attack should receive aspirin within 24 hours before or after hospital arrival.

A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines found Class I evidence (highest level of scientific support) for giving aspirin as soon as possible for a confirmed or strongly suspected heart attack (Circulation, September, 2000: 102 (10); 1193-1209). Individuals who are at increased risk for bleeding, however, may not be candidates for aspirin therapy because aspirin thins the blood, further increasing the risk of bleeding.

Unless otherwise contraindicated, the protocol at Community Health Network and The Indiana Heart Hospital includes the administration of aspirin to heart attack patients upon arrival to the hospital.

Key

CHE = Community Hospital East
CHN = Community Hospital North
CHS = Community Hospital South
CHA = Community Hospital Anderson
TIHH = The Indiana Heart Hospital
NR = Not Reported
Network = Networkwide Total
National = National Total reported by U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

= Be careful when drawing conclusions for these hospitals because of the small number of patients treated for this condition.