Resources To Help You Respond in Time To Heart Attack Signs

Too few people get to the hospital fast enough when a heart attack occurs. The main reason is delay in getting to the ER and recieving medical care in time.  What you will learn below can save your life.  This is not intended to be medical advice - simply a guide to where to get information on heart attacks and getting emergency care.  When in doubt - call you doctor or the local Emergency Room.

911 Within 5 Minutes

Those experiencing heart attack symptoms should call 911 within minutes - 5 at the most. Studies show most people wait 2 hours or more before seeking emergency care.  The amount of time between the onset of symptoms and the onset of treatment is critical in survival time of heart muscle (your heart is one big muscle).  It is very important get help immediately get help when these symptoms of a heart attack occur.
 

Resources

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the American Heart Association, and other organizations have issued a host of resources aimed at helping you know how to react to heart attack symptoms and so saving heart muscle and possibly your life.

Resources from the NHLBI give the warning signs of a heart attack, how to respond, and a heart attack survival plan. Key medical information (such as the drugs you take and illness you may have) should be kept in a handy place. This web page also has information on heart attack, its tests and treatments, and links to other resources.

Facts

Each year, about 1.1 million Americans suffer a heart attack. About 460,000 of those heart attacks are fatal - and for nearly half, death occurs within the first hour of the start of symptoms.

When the blood flow to the heart is nearly or completely blocked a heart attack occurs. Blood vessels (arteries) opening treatments should be given, ideally, within the first hour of the start of symptoms to restore blood flow and save heart muscle - and lives.

People, especially women, delay seeking help for various reasons: not be sure they're having a heart attack because what they experience doesn't resemble the movie version, in which a character is hit with a sudden, crushing chest pain, or think it is just gas or indigestion. Many real-life heart attacks are much quieter, causing only mild chest pain or discomfort, for example.

Some patients delay out of worry about being embarrassed if their symptoms turn out to be a false alarm.

Most women hesitate because they still view heart attacks as being a man's problem, though heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women.  Doctors do not typically educate thier female patients about heart attack signs and in the past women have not been included in programs to educate people about heart attack symptoms.

Act In Time urges Americans to protect themselves from heart attacks by following these steps:

• Learn these signs of a heart attack: Chest discomfort or pain; discomfort in the arm(s), back, neck, jaw, or stomach; shortness of breath; and breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness. 
• Act fast to any of the heart attack signs: Wait no more than a few minutes - 5 at the most - before calling 9-1-1. Calling 9-1-1 is like bringing the hospital to the patient. Emergency medical personnel can begin delivering treatment at once. Persons should not drive themselves to the hospital.

Act In Time materials are available from the NHLBI Health Information Center at P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105, or at (301) 592-8573.

More information about heart attack, heart disease, and its risk factors is available at these Web pages - all can be reached through the NHLBI Web site in Disease Index A-Z.

Plan Ahead

Knowing what to do in case of a heart attack can save lives. Americans can plan ahead by following these steps:

• Learn the heart attack warning signs
• Talk with family and friends about the warning signs and the need to call 9-1-1 quickly and not waiting to just see if it is a heart attack.  Better to go to the emergency room unnecessarily, than to ignore these symptoms
• Talk with your doctor about what increase your chance of having a heart attack - and how to reduce your risk
• Talk with your doctor about what to do if you experience heart attack symptoms
• Make a heart attack survival plan that has vital medical information and keep it handy
• Decide who would care for any dependents in an emergency

Reduce Your Heart Attack Risk

Acting fast is crucial for surviving a heart attack. But you can also take actions to reduce your risk of ever having one - or of having a repeat heart attack.

You should:

• Stop smoking - If you can't quit the first time, keep trying.
• Lower high blood pressure if you have it - follow a heart healthy eating plan that includes foods lower in salt and sodium and taking your medicine on time, every day.
• Reduce high blood cholesterol - Get your blood cholesterol level checked once every 5 years (and more often, if needed). This test measures the cholesterol level in the bloodstream.  These days medicine is avaliable to safely lower blood cholesterol.
• Aim for a healthy weight - Losing weight and keeping it off depends on a change of lifestyle that combines sensible eating with regular physical activity.
• Be physically active each day - At least 30 minutes of moderate-level physical activity, such as brisk walking, on most and preferably all days of the week or at least 3 days a week.
• Manage diabetes - The steps that lower your risk of heart disease also help manage or reduce your chance of developing diabetes by eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight and routine screening if diabetes runs in your family.

Did you pay attention?   Let's see!

1. If you have heart attack symptoms, when should you call 911?

 2.Did you or will you get a wallet card or seek more information as a result of this guide?

3. How long is the crucial window that clot-busting medication and other treatments are most effective.

This information is simply my own opinion or information I found on the above mentioned associations and is not intended to serve as medical advice from me.

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