LRH launches new life-saving heart attack service

APRIL 27 2026

One of the most dangerous types of heart attacks can now be treated in Gippsland now that Latrobe Regional Health has officially opened its new STEMI service.

A STEMI — or ST-elevation myocardial infarction — is a severe heart attack caused by a sudden blockage in a coronary artery, cutting off oxygen to the heart muscle.

Without rapid treatment, it carries a mortality risk of up to 10 per cent.

LRH had already received three STEMI patients within the first 24 hours of starting the new service in April.

LRH Director of Cardiology Associate Professor Derk Pol said the new service was designed to dramatically reduce treatment times, which are critical to survival.

“Time is tissue,” he said.

“The faster we can open the blocked artery, the better the outcome. Minutes can mean the difference between life and death.”

Until now, Gippsland patients were routinely transferred by road or air ambulance to Melbourne at the Victorian Heart Hospital or The Alfred.

However, this means the heart muscle continues to die in transit.

Patients at LRH are being treated in a specialised cardiac catheterisation lab, where blocked arteries can be opened quickly using minimally invasive techniques.

The STEMI service is part of the hospital’s expanded cardiac unit, which has been under development for the past 18 months.

It includes new equipment, an advanced cath lab, and a strengthened team of cardiologists and specially trained nursing staff.

A/P Pol said he expected about 50 patients to be treated under the new service in its initial phase.

“There’s a direct link between treatment delays and risk of death,” he said.

“This service will absolutely save lives.”