Texas Health Presbyterian talks heart attacks and strokes – LIVING WELL Magazine

When You’re Having a Heart Attack or Stroke –– Minutes Matter!

Courtesy Texas Health Presbyterian-WNJ, Texoma LIVING WELL Magazine

Coronary heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. Stroke is the number three cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of serious disability. That’s why it’s so important to reduce your risk factors, know the warning signs, and know how to respond quickly and properly if warning signs occur.

Heart attack and stroke are life-and-death emergencies –– every second counts. If you see or have any of the symptoms, immediately call 911. Not all these signs occur in every heart attack or stroke. Sometimes they go away and return. If some occur, get help fast! Today heart attack and stroke victims can benefit from new medications and treatments unavailable to patients in years past. For example, clot-busting drugs can stop some heart attacks and strokes in progress, reducing disability and saving lives. But to be effective, these drugs must be given relatively quickly after heart attack or stroke symptoms first appear. So again, don’t delay –– get help right away!

 

  Heart Attack Stroke
What happens to your body
  • ·Blockage of blood to heart muscle
  • ·When too little oxygen-carrying blood reaches the heart, cells in the heart muscle being to die.
    • Blockage of blood to the brain.
    • When too little oxygen-carrying blood reaches the brain, cells in the brain begin to die.
Signs & Symptoms
  • ·Chest discomfort

Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

  • ·Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.

Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

  • ·Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

  • ·Women are somewhat more likely to experience:

Shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
  • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.
When to call 911
  • ·Don’t wait more than five minutes to call 911 or your emergency response number.
    • Calling 911 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment.
    • Emergency medical services (EMS) staff can begin treatment when they arrive – up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car.
    • EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive raster treatment at the hospital.
      • Immediately call 911.
      • Also, check the time so you’ll know when the first symptoms appeared.
      • It’s very important to take immediate action. If given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke.

Texas Health Presbyterian-WNJ is an Accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Our emergency physicians and staff work closely with cardiologists, the catheterization lab and diagnostic services within the hospital to insure quick diagnosis and treatment.

Texas Health Presbyterian-WNJ is a Primary Stroke Care Center accredited by the Joint Commission. Our team of highly-skilled medical professionals and specialists incorporate all of the hospital’s diagnostic and treatment services to give stroke patients the fastest and most effective treatment possible.

Texas Health Presbyterian-WNJ is located at 500 North Highland Avenue in Sherman, TX and can be reached at 903-870-4611 or visit their website at www.wnj.org.