Heart 777 Program

When it Comes to a Heart Attack…. Seconds Count!

The Heart 777 Program is a regional response team that brings lifesaving treatment for heart attack victims quickly and has saved lives of many individuals who do not live close to a large medical center.

When it comes to a heart attack, time is everything. Thirteen hospitals across central Illinois currently partner with OSF Saint Francis Medical Center to expedite life saving treatment for patients experiencing a heart attack.

The program is named “Heart 777” after the three-digit code that healthcare professionals receive on their pagers when they are being summoned to respond to a heart attack. When the emergency physician at a partner hospital determines that a patient is a candidate for this program, the physician will notify OSF Saint Francis about the Heart 777 patient. The staff at the partner hospital is prepared to begin treatment immediately by following a protocol designed specifically for the care of patients having a heart attack.

A system will be immediately activated to either dispatch OSF Life Flight or secure the local ambulance to transport the patient to OSF Saint Francis, where a cardiac catheterization lab and a cardiologist will be ready for the patient upon arrival.

This streamlined process will save heart muscle, resulting in better outcomes for patients. By participating in this program, partnering hospitals will be able to provide heart attack patients with quicker treatment to open blocked arteries. The national average is 90 minutes. For patients coming from the region, the goal is 120 minutes or less to open the artery.

For more information about the Heart 777 Program

E-mail Julie Byrd, OSF Saint Francis Heart Hospital, at Julie.a.byrd@osfhealthcare.org.