The University Clinical Center Tuzla (UKC Tuzla) hosted a meeting with the directors of health centers from the Tuzla Canton and the management of the UKC Tuzla, during which organizational changes at UKC Tuzla were presented, along with a new referral model for patients with STEMI myocardial infarction. The aim of these changes is to establish a unified, efficient, and patient-oriented treatment system.
The Director of the UKC Tuzla, Prof. Dr. Šekib Umihanić, emphasized that a coordinated approach and partnership based cooperation among all healthcare institutions represent the most effective way to improve treatment outcomes for patients with acute coronary syndrome in the Tuzla Canton.
“The objective of today’s meeting was to familiarize the management of health centers in the Tuzla Canton with the procedure for referring patients with suspected STEMI myocardial infarction to the UKC Tuzla, with particular emphasis on the urgency of treatment and close coordination between medical teams. This approach aims to minimize patient transport time to the Clinic for Invasive Cardiology and enable the timely initiation of appropriate therapy,” stated Director Umihanić.
Acknowledgements to colleagues from health centers across the Tuzla Canton who attended today’s meeting were also expressed by Prof.Dr. Igor Hudić, Assistant Director for Medical Affairs. In his address, he emphasized that the UKC Tuzla has ensured all necessary material, technical, and human resources for the admission and treatment of patients with STEMI myocardial infarction. “We need to establish a clear communication pathway and an effective model of cooperation between colleagues in primary and secondary healthcare and our teams at the UKC Tuzla. This represents the first step, and perhaps the most important one , in creating a structured flow of actions and defining all activities that must be implemented in the period ahead,” stated Prof. Dr. Hudić.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mugdim Bajrić, Head of the Clinic for Invasive Cardiology at the UKC Tuzla, myocardial infarction remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, with more than fifty percent of deaths occurring among individuals who have experienced a heart attack. “The purpose of today’s meeting was to further strengthen cooperation between the Clinic for Invasive Cardiology and the Clinic for Internal Medicine, in close coordination with health centers across the Tuzla Canton, in order to improve the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction. Our objective is to shorten the patient’s pathway, from emergency medical services and family medicine teams to the Clinic for Invasive Cardiology, so that timely intervention and rapid reopening of the affected vessel can be achieved within the first hour. In such cases, outcomes can be comparable to those in which no infarction has occurred. This approach significantly reduces complications and greatly improves patient survival,” emphasized Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bajrić.
During the meeting, it was also agreed that a dedicated seminar would be organized, focusing in detail on all stages of patient management, from the moment of first contact at family medicine practices or emergency medical services within health centers, through to admission and treatment in the angiography room at the UKC Tuzla.
