By Dianne Gebhardt-French
SmartHealthToday
On a treadmill, five minutes can be a lifetime, but when it comes to heart attacks, delaying care even that long can be deadly or debilitating; so, call 911.
The story is repeated over and over: The patient, unsure of what was happening, drove himself or was driven to the hospital. As minutes tick by, the heart muscle may be deprived of oxygen, which causes damage to the muscle.
“Making that 911 call – and making it sooner – can be a life-saving decision,” according to Dr. D.P. Suresh, Medical Director of St. Elizabeth Heart & Vascular Institute.
“The sooner you get medical hands on you, the better the chance of survival,” said Suresh.
If you call 911, medication intervention starts when the emergency medical squad arrives, when you are still at home. The time difference can be more than an hour.
“Every minute counts,” said Suresh.
Heart attack symptoms include:
• Pain in the chest
• Pain radiating up to the jaw or down the left arm
• Pressure, squeezing, fullness
• Pain may go away and come back
• Shortness of breath
Women and the elderly often have lesser-known symptoms and report fatigue, nausea, and weakness with little or no chest pain. Symptoms can also include cold sweat or lightheadedness.
The American Heart Association reports that not all signs occur in every heart attack and recommends calling 911 immediately. With new medications and treatments, quick response can restore blood flow to the heart muscle and save lives. Even if the symptoms disappear, call 911.
Suresh reported that a St. Elizabeth timeline evaluation shows more than 50 percent of heart attack patients do not call 911 and arrive by car rather than by life squad, and they are waiting an average of nine hours before they seek care (either calling 911 or driving themselves to the emergency room.)
Communication between the ambulance squad and the hospital means that not only is treatment started but the hospital staff knows what is coming in the door in terms of patient symptoms and condition. This saves time in a number of areas, including setting up tests like EKG’s or notifying the cath lab.
SmartHealthToday is a service of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
