Chest Pain Services
The statistics are staggering. Heart disease is the number one killer in America. More people die from complications associated with heart disease than any other cause. In fact, more than 250,000 Americans will die this year alone from cardiac arrest without ever being hospitalized.
Watch for Warnings
All heart attacks are different. However, most people assume they happen in an instant. In fact, heart attacks can last four to six hours and the heart muscle suffers the most damage during the first hour. Being aware of heart attack warning signs is one of the best things you can do to keep your heart healthy. The American Heart Association recognizes the following as common heart attack warning signs:
- Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest that last more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back
- Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck or arms
- Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath
Less Common Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
- Atypical chest pain, stomach or abdominal pain; nausea or dizziness
- Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing
- Unexplained anxiety
- Weakness or fatigue
- Palpitations, cold sweat or paleness
High-Risk Categories
Those individuals that fall into one of the many high-risk categories for heart attacks and heart disease need to be especially attentive to their body and heart attack warning signs. People that fall into the high-risk category are those who:
- Have a family history of heart disease
- Smoke
- Have high blood pressure
- Have high cholesterol levels
- Are overweight
- Have diabetes
- Are under much stress
For many patients, heart attacks aren’t always unexpected. Because many heart attack victims experience one or more of the warning signs prior to a heart attack, being responsive to your body’s signals could save your life. In fact, two-thirds of heart attack patients experience one or more of the warning signs up to a month before suffering an actual heart attack. If you believe you may be having a heart attack, call 911 or rush to the nearest Emergency Department where the situation can be evaluated and treatment, if necessary, can be delivered.
Heart attack symptoms can be tricky, and a patient could experience one or several symptoms. Even more, warning signs in patients more than 70 years old tend to be more subtle and may only appear as a sudden change in alertness or mental sharpness.
No matter what the circumstance, the physicians and trained medical professionals at Norton Emergency Departments are there to serve. If you are examined in the emergency department and admitted for care, you can rest assured that you will receive quality care.
Patients at most Norton Emergency Departments are able to take advantage of their state-of-the-art diagnostic tools including electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, nuclear imaging and cardiac CT scans. Patients also have new drug therapies like thrombolytics available to keep clots from forming.
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Norton Heart Care is a leading provider of heart care for people throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana. Focused on outcomes and quality, our highly skilled cardiologists and surgeons work side by side with experienced nurses to care for both adults and children. Heart disease comes in many forms, and Norton Heart Care offers a wide range of innovative treatment techniques in multiple locations - providing advanced, high-quality care close to home. For more information about Norton Heart Care, call (502) 629-1234.
