Things that can keep a cardiologist up at night:

  • snoring spouse
  • drippy faucet
  • barking dog
  • thunder and lightening
  • knowing there are people driving themselves to the hospital while having a heart attack

There is little you can do about the first four bullet points above, unless you are a sleep medicine provider, are a plumber or own the dog. However, you can share the message about the importance of calling 911 when chest pain strikes and a heart attack is possible.

From October 2016 through June of 2017, more than half the people who showed up to the Blessing ER having a heart attack arrived in their own vehicle (51.3%). That’s downright dangerous because the facts are clear: Calling 911 allows paramedics to make two life-saving moves:

  • Notify the Cath Lab staff that you are coming in with a possible heart attack, and
  • begin heart attack treatment before reaching the hospital.

Those actions allow patients to get to the Cardiac Cath Lab more quickly to stop the heart attack; as much as 26 minutes quicker than for patients who drive themselves to the hospital.

“When 911 is called for a heart attack, the Cath Lab Team is notified so we are at the hospital and waiting when the patient arrives – no matter the day or time of day,” said Reggie Suhling, Radiologic Special Procedures Technologist, manager, Cardiac Cath Lab, Blessing Heart & Vascular Center. “When patients drive themselves to the hospital, we don’t know they are coming, so they have to wait in the Emergency Center until the Cath Lab Team arrives. Those minutes matter.”

“The damage done during a heart attack cannot be fixed,” said Steven Krause, DO, cardiologist, Blessing Physician Services and Medical Director of the Blessing Hospital Cardiac Catheterization Lab, added. “Getting to the Cardiac Cath Lab as soon as possible can be life-saving.”

“People have many reasons for not calling 911 when they feel chest pain; they are in denial, they’re afraid of being embarrassed if it’s not a heart attack; they don’t want to bother anyone; it’s too expensive; or they think they can drive to the hospital faster,” he continued.

“There is no good reason not to call 911 when feeling chest pain,” Krause concluded. “It’s the right thing to do for yourself and for everyone in your life who counts on you.”

A person feeling any of the following symptoms of a heart attack should call 911 immediately:

  • Chest pain or discomfort in the center of the chest; also described as a heaviness, tightness, pressure, aching, burning, numbness, fullness or squeezing feeling that lasts for more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. It is sometimes mistakenly thought to be indigestion or heartburn.
  • Pain or discomfort in other areas of the upper body including the arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw, or stomach
  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Sweating or “cold sweat”
  • Fullness, indigestion, or choking feeling (may feel like “heartburn”)
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Light-headedness, dizziness, extreme weakness or anxiety
  • Rapid or irregular heart beats

While many think of heart disease as a man’s condition, it is also the Number One killer of women.

“It is important for women to know that their symptoms may be less intense and vague when compared to those experienced by men” said Sara Baig, MD, cardiologist, Blessing Physician Services. “Some women report their pain occurs in their arms, back, neck, or jaw and have other symptoms like stomach pain, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue."

“Women and their loved ones need to know those symptoms and know that calling 911 provides the best chance for their survival,” she concluded.

The average person waits three hours before seeking help for symptoms of a heart attack. Many heart attack patients die before they reach a hospital. The sooner the person gets to the emergency room, the better the chance of survival. Prompt medical treatment reduces the amount of heart damage.

What to do if you think someone is having a heart attack

  • CALL 911.
  • Do NOT leave the person alone, except to call for help.
  • Do NOT allow the person to deny the symptoms and convince you not to call for emergency help.
  • Do NOT wait to see if the symptoms go away.
  • Do NOT give the person anything by mouth unless a heart medication (such as nitroglycerin) has been prescribed.

Use your power to influence when you think someone is having a heart attack.

Help your Blessing cardiologist sleep easier tonight by committing to call 911 if you ever experience chest pain or other symptoms that could be a heart attack – and tell your family and friends to do the same thing.