UMass Memorial Health Care has received a gold achievement award from the American Heart Association for guidelines for caring patients with heart conditions.
The honor, which the Worcester healthcare organization announced Wednesday, is for implementing guidelines outlined by the American Heart Association for caring for patients with atrial fibrillation, a heart condition known as AFib. It is the highest honor for such care given by the association, according to UMass.
UMass earned the award by taking measures such as providing appropriate medications and aggressive risk reduction therapies to prevent stroke, stabilizing the heart rate and rhythm, and treating additional heart disease.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia, affecting an estimated 2.7 million to 6.1 million Americans, according to the American Heart Association. Someone with AFib experiences abnormal heartbeat rates and blood not flowing through the heart as it should. The condition can occur in brief episodes or be permanent, and greatly increases a person’s odds of a stroke.
