QEH in heart attack care initiative

Emergency heart care in Barbados is set to be transformed with a QEH-private sector partnership designed to deliver a life-saving drug to heart attack patients before they arrive at hospital, the hospital’s top emergency physician has announced.

The development comes as the hospital reports a sharp rise in heart-related medical emergencies. 

The Metalyse Project, a partnership between QEH and pharmaceutical distributor Bryden Stokes, will enable urgent care facilities across Barbados to administer the clot-busting drug Metalyse under the guidance of QEH cardiologists. Metalyse is used to treat adults suspected of having an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) within six hours of the first symptoms appearing. 

The initiative is expected to launch in March or, according to consultant head of the QEH Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, Dr Anne-Marie Cruickshank, “as soon as the drug is available”.

The goal of the project, according to hospital officials, is to reduce treatment delays and improve survival rates. 

Speaking during the hospital’s Pulse Radio Show on Monday, Dr Cruickshank, said the initiative comes at a crucial time when the department is experiencing a surge in cases of patients presenting with non-communicable diseases since late January. 

“We’ve seen a high number of hypertensive emergencies—patients not taking their medication and arriving with dangerously high blood pressure, leading to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and even altered mental status,” she said. She further shared that diabetic emergencies are also on the rise, often escalating into complications like heart failure and end-stage renal disease. Dr Cruickshank blamed poor management of chronic conditions, citing patients failing to refill prescriptions, follow prescribed diets, or get sufficient exercise.

“These issues start at the primary care level, and when they are not properly managed, people end up in A&E with severe complications,” she said. The Metalyse Project aims to address at least one of these crises by enabling faster intervention for heart attack patients.

“If we can get a heart attack diagnosed quickly, urgent care doctors will be able to consult with a cardiologist and, if confirmed, begin administering Metalyse before the patient even reaches A&E,” Dr Cruickshank said, noting that this early intervention could mean the difference between life and death, as faster treatment reduces heart damage and improves recovery chances. 

The Metalyse programme, led by QEH’s cardiology department in collaboration with urgent care facilities, is part of the hospital’s broader efforts to improve emergency medical care within the country, the QEH official said. (SM)