Regional Approach to Cardiovascular Emergencies (RACE)
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's participation in the statewide study and initiative on the treatment of heart attack patients called Regional Approach to Cardiovascular Emergencies (RACE) has enhanced the quality of care delivered in numerous hospitals and EMS services across North Carolina and Virginia. This has reduced the time it takes to unblock the coronary artery of a person having a heart attack.
RACE focuses on obtaining a 12-lead EKG within 10 minutes of arrival and instituting reperfusion therapy through thrombolytics or primary percutanceous coronary intervention (PCI). The utilization of the AirCare STEMI Auto-Launch allows for air service to be deployed immediately.
RACE is also beginning a statewide focus on out of hospital cardiac arrest (RACE-CARS). The mission of this project is to increase the survival rate of cardiac arrest victims by fifty percent within five years.