𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀

• Welcome Address: Joan McCormack, Cardiovascular Audit Programme Manager, opened the webinar. This is the 3rd national report evaluating care provided to patients with major heart attacks in Ireland. The audit has collected data on over 20,000 patients since 2017.
  

• Report Findings: Dr. Ronan Margey, National Clinical Lead of the Irish Heart Attack Audit, presented key data from the report. Findings highlighted:

  • A decrease in the proportion of patients brought directly to PCI centres by ambulance (55%, down from 58% in 2021).

  • Significant improvements in cardiac rehabilitation referral rates (91% in 2023, up from 57% in 2022).

  • The impact of timely primary PCI on reducing mortality (7.8% to 2.7%).

• Patient Advocacy: Michael Madigan, Patient and Public Interest Representative, emphasised the importance of public awareness campaigns on recognising heart attack symptoms and the need for calling 999/112 to ensure timely treatment.

• National Quality Improvement: Dr Joe Galvin, Clinical Co-lead of the National Heart Programme, outlined forward-looking strategies, including:

  • Implementing rapid ECG protocols to reduce Door-In-Door-Out (DIDO) times.

  • Expanding cardiac rehabilitation staffing to address a 60-70% reduction since 2017.

  • Piloting innovative AI ECG technology for faster diagnosis of occlusive myocardial infarction (OMI).

  • Exploring AED drone technology for timely response in cardiac emergencies.

• Local Quality Improvement: April Villalobos from St. James’s Hospital shared an innovative quality improvement initiative that significantly enhanced follow-on data completeness and cardiac rehabilitation referrals.

This year’s IHAA report and launch event underscore NOCA's commitment to data-driven improvement, collaboration, and improving outcomes for heart attack patients across Ireland.

Copies of available presentations and the webinar recording are available below.