Aspirin Given at Arrival

The Reading Hospital percentages displayed in this graph reflect discharges during second quarter 2011. State and national rates from the US Department of Health & Human Services are for discharges between October 2009 and September 2010.

Why is this important?

The heart is a muscle that gets oxygen through blood vessels. Sometimes blood clots can block these blood vessels, and the heart can’t get enough oxygen. This can cause a heart attack. Chewing an aspirin as soon as symptoms of a heart attack begin may help reduce the severity of the attack. This chart shows the percent of heart attack patients who were given (or took) aspirin within 24 hours of arrival at the Hospital.

Our approach to improving performance:

We provide ongoing staff education to assure that all heart attack patients are given aspirin if appropriate. Because some patients have been given aspirin before arriving at the Hospital, and some patients cannot take aspirin, we have updated the forms used by our doctors and nurses to include this important information.