HOUSTON - The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center received a performance achievement award from the American Heart Association (AHA) today for excellence in treating coronary artery disease. Methodist is the only hospital in Houston to receive this honor.

"Adherence to simple preventative guidelines established by the American Heart Association can save a significant number of lives per year," said Christie Ballantyne, M.D., director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center. "The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center is well above the national average in implementing the life-saving treatments outlined by the AHA. We hope to be a model that others will follow."
Under the American Heart Association's Get with the Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease program, patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, and receive smoking cessation and weight management counseling and referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before they are discharged from the hospital.

Hospitals that receive the award have demonstrated that during 12 consecutive months at least 85 percent of eligible coronary patients are discharged following the American Heart Association's recommended treatments.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 450,000 people suffer recurrent heart attacks each year. Statistics also show that within one year of an attack, 25 percent of men and 38 percent of women will die. Within six years after a heart attack, about 22 percent of men and 46 percent of women will be disabled with heart failure.

Projections indicate that implementation of cardiovascular disease secondary prevention guidelines nationwide could result in saving more than 80,000 lives each year.

About the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center
The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center is a world-renowned organization that is continuing the ground-breaking work begun by famed heart care pioneer, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, and his associates, who developed many of today's life-saving techniques, tools and procedures at The Methodist Hospital.
Located in Houston, Texas, the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center combines research, prevention, diagnostic care, surgery and rehabilitation services in a coordinated multi-disciplinary program with one focus: delivering compassionate, effective care and treatment to patients with heart disease. Patient care teams provide the full range of cardiac care, ensuring high-quality care and satisfaction to those served.