Talk Red on the Green: A Heart-Healthy Night at Red Hawk

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The message at Tuesday night's "Talk Red on the Green: An Evening With Prairie Heart Institute Cardiologist Dr. Raed Al-Dallow" was clearly "time is muscle" (heart muscle.)

Prairie Heart in partnership with Pinckneyville Community Hospital, Marshall Browning Hospital and Perry County Ambulance Service hosted the evening.

One of the five fastest programs in the country, STATHeart is saving lives - nearly 400 in southern Illinois in just four years.

Heart attack survivor Gary Hastings told the 60 guests in attendance that it was the Prairie Heart team at Pinckneyville Community Hospital that saved his life in their "door-to-door" program to get patients from the ERs in Pinckneyville and Du Quoin to the catheterization lab at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale in less than a half-hour. He called the team "the best" and conveyed his heart attack experience, which began with classic chest pain symptoms.

Dr. Al-Dallow was questioned about how long you can wait before seeking treatment. "You can't wait," he said. Anything past the onset is "too long." STATHeart program has a spectacular success rate for patients who get to an ER immediately.

Two of the most interesting presenters were Pinckneyville Ambulance Service director Shane Malawy who introduced emergency medic Anthony Garlich. He talked about the latest chest-only CPR technique that doesn't involve mouth-to-mouth breathing. He demonstrated CPR and told the audience to lace their fingers together and use your palms with fingers pointed up and out to accomplish compressions. About 90 compressions a minute are recommended, then trade off with someone else if possible until EMTs arrive. Lay your hands just above the end of the rib cage. Press down with your whole body, not just your forearms, never lifting your hands off the patient. He fielded some very pertinent questions about patient care in public.

Angela Boyett, R.N., BSN and STAT Heart coordinator for Pinckneyville Community Hospital was the host for the evening and made the introductions.

There were appetizers and beverages served to those attending, during a very well-done evening on the subject of quick response.