New heart attack treatment initiative launched at QEH

Young Barbadians in their 30s are dying from heart attacks that could be prevented through a new life-saving treatment programme launched on Monday, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital has revealed.

The Metalyse Project, a collaboration between the lone public hospital and four private urgent care centres, will provide free access to a critical clot-busting drug, Metalyse, that can prevent permanent heart muscle damage if administered quickly after symptoms begin.

The project was announced during the QEH’s Pulse Radio Show by Dr Brian Charles, emergency medicine specialist and managing director of Sandy Crest and Coverley Medical Centres.

Heart attacks occur when a blood clot blocks an artery supplying the heart. If untreated, the clot hardens, leading to irreversible damage or death, he said.

“The real big crux of the matter is hearing about NCDs and mutable diseases, that’s where the heart attack starts from,” he explained. “So, those of us who have hypertension and diabetes and obesity and, you know, sedentary lifestyles, that starts the process to lead onto what can cause a heart attack.

“There’s no consequence to the blockage in the artery for the heart. But if you allow that clot to cement, then there’s damage further on to the heart muscle. And when the heart muscle is damaged, there’s no reverse, there’s no coming back, and that’s when you get the complications, . . . and at the end of the spectrum, death.”

Under the new project, Metalyse will also be available at four urgent care centres—Sandy Crest, Coverley, Urgent Care Medical and the Airport Clinic.

Dr Charles further explained the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

“If you have a non-communicable disease, you have a higher risk of having a heart attack. When you have things like chest pain or nausea, sweating, palpitations, and you think something is wrong, you go to the urgent care centre, they do a heart test and, of course, you tell us what’s wrong with your history. So those three things make us decide whether or not you’re having a heart attack or not. Okay. And if you have a heart attack and you find you catch it early, then you can be a candidate for this drug to be administered early, and you save that life.”

Once the drug is given, the patient will be monitored for an hour before being transferred to the QEH for further care. This process eliminates transport delays, improving patient outcomes.

A concerning trend is the increasing number of younger Barbadians experiencing heart attacks. Dr Anne-Marie Cruickshank, the head of Accident and Emergency at QEH, revealed that patients in their late 30s and early 40s are arriving at the hospital either already dead or with severe complications.

“It’s very disheartening when you see young people coming in with heart attacks,” Dr Cruickshank said, “I’ve seen persons in their late 30s have heart attacks and early 40s, and they present either dead on arrival, or they’re coming in with the complications of the heart attack. That’s very disconcerting to see that. So, therefore, this project is extremely important in that when these patients present to the urgent care centres, they can start the drug right away.”

The initiative is backed by the Ministry of Health which has recognised the cost-effectiveness of early treatment. Dr Charles highlighted that Metalyse is expensive, but treating heart attack complications is even more costly—both financially and socially.

“There are a couple of disadvantages of Metalyse,” he said.

“One, it has a very short shelf life. And secondly, and probably more importantly, to both the consumer as well as the provider, is that Metalyse is very expensive.”

As part of the collaboration, Metalyse will be administered free to QEH patients and the four associated clinics sending patients to the QEH.

Dr Charles said: “If we can get one step ahead and try to get Metalyse, which can be given to the Barbadian public free of cost, at the hospital, let us get this drug distributed to the urgent care centres so that we can give it to the patients that need it early.” (LG)