PESHAWAR: Patients suffering from chest pain and cardiac ailments receive faster treatment following their quick care at the CCU established at accident and emergency department of Lady Reading Hospital, according to cardiologists.

They say that number of heart patients has gone up after establishment of cardiac care unit atAED. The AED has helped to facilitate patients coming with heart problems.

The cardiologists say that before establishment of the 16-bed CCU at AED, patients had to be referred to ward located on first floor of cardiology block that delayed their treatment.

Now patients get life-saving injection within 35 minutes of their arrival at AED. Previously it took 100 minutes to get the lifeline. There is no referral of patients from AED since January.

`Time is essence in management and treatment of heart patients. Early treatment increases chances of survival.

The patients showing symptomsget the injections straightaway at AED which saves their lives, said the cardiologists. Three of 10 patients are hospitalised for further investigation and the rest are sent home.

There are 10 beds with monitors and six in assessment area of the hospital where patients are examined and investigated prior to their admission. The cardiologists said that TMOs had been deployed at AED after the administration set up fullfledged ICU to ensure treatment of critically-ill people.

There is upward trend of 10 per cent in consumption of injection streptokinase by patients from January to March. The number of patients` visit to ICU rose by 25 per cent during thesame period.

Along the streptokinase, the patients use 4000 Clexane injection every month at AED. The same amount of injection was used to be administered to patients in three months prior to operation of CCU at the hospital.

Prof Mukhtiar Zaman Afridi, medical director of LRH, told Dawn that the hospital was pioneer of cardiac facilities in the province and most of the patients proffered it for treatment as it was accessible to people of different areas. `We require Rs7 million monthly to provide supplies to CCU, which gives prompt treatment to people, who risk lives due to heart issues,` he said.

He said that they had imple-mented A-type on call system for doctors working in medicines, surgery, pediatric, gynaecology departments and AED where an assistant professor was required to stay on site for 80 per cent of the total duty time.

Prof Afridi said that patients got the injection round-the-clock at CCU. He said that on call duty started after closure ofñrstshift at 4:30pm at the hospital. On call doctors are responsible for patients` care.

Prof Afridi said they had made preparations to provide angiography and angioplasty services to patients at AED. `The plan will be put to practice after getting 12 new consultants for which people have been selected,` he added.