Mr. Li, 48 years old, walked into the outpatient clinic of Dr. Gao Zhao, a deputy chief physician at the Heart Hospital of Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital, for a follow-up examination and medication. Looking at the indicators of normal recovery, he couldn't help but sigh, "I never thought I would still be alive, thanks to this hospital."

A month ago, Mr. Li experienced a battle with death. Within an hour and a half, his heart stopped beating three times, and his heart function was only 1/3. It can be said that he stepped into the "door of hell". The network grassroots hospital diagnosed him with myocardial infarction, and he was sent to Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital 27 minutes later. The chest pain center team worked against the clock to rescue him, and Mr. Li "escaped from the tiger's mouth".

"I entered the hospital gate at 13:50, entered the catheterization laboratory at 14:07, and passed the guide wire at 14:20. Gao Zhao, a deputy chief physician, was deeply impressed by Mr. Li. After receiving the 120 call, the chest pain center quickly opened a green channel and a chest pain treatment process, and began to assess and rescue the patient at the first time. The blood vessel was opened in only 30 minutes.

Now Mr. Li has recovered and every time he comes to the hospital, he always says that it is here that gave him a second life.

Patients admitted to the chest pain center mainly have three types of diseases: myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, and pulmonary embolism. Generally, patients with myocardial infarction often need to be sent to the catheterization laboratory to open the blood vessels, while patients with aortic dissection or pulmonary embolism are urgently called in for emergency treatment such as hemostasis or thrombectomy.

"Our job is to seize the golden rescue time, win time for patients and win life." Professor Wang Haichang, director of the chest pain center, a famous cardiologist and dean of the Cardiology Hospital of Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital, said that in April 2021, Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital established a chest pain center. Through the collaboration of 16 disciplines including emergency department, internal and surgical cardiology, respiratory medicine, thoracic surgery, digestive surgery, neurology, imaging diagnosis and treatment, the center adopted regional collaborative treatment, unified diagnosis and treatment standards, optimized diagnosis and treatment processes, and provided efficient, convenient and optimal treatment methods and plans for chest pain patients. On March 15, 2024, the center passed the certification of the chest pain center; on March 30, 2024, the center was awarded the title of China's chest pain center.

Gao Zhao, the head of the Critical Care Unit (CCU) at the Heart Hospital of Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital, said that taking the above-mentioned myocardial infarction as an example, they only spent 30 minutes from the patient's admission to the completion of the surgery, which greatly improved the prognosis and treatment effect of the patient and also reduced the burden on the family and society.

In addition to fighting for time in the hospital, the chest pain center team has also done a lot of work to improve the treatment rate of chest pain patients outside the hospital. They have successively joined hands with more than 10 network grassroots hospitals to explore and promote a joint treatment and grading diagnosis system for acute chest pain, and to open up the "first kilometer" of acute chest pain treatment.