Care for Heart Attack

If you’re having a heart attack, government data (U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service) shows that more than any other hospital in the country, you have the best chance for survival at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Read about it in the Aug. 20, 2008 edition of USA TODAY.

We have the nation’s best heart attack survival rate because you receive care fast. The faster you get care, the less damage is done to your heart. That’s why it’s so important to know the symptoms of a heart attack and call 9-1-1 if someone is experiencing them. The symptoms include:

• Chest discomfort or pain that lasts more than a few minutes
• Discomfort or pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
• Cold sweats
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness

Our fast heart attack care program (MI Alert for Heart Attacks) saves lives and limits the amount of damage done to your heart. We educated area paramedics and EMTs to diagnose heart attacks in the field. If you’re having a heart attack, they will start treatment immediately and call ahead to our ER to ensure we’re ready when you arrive. When you arrive, a procedure performed in our cardiac catheterization lab (angioplasty) can open your blocked arteries within 90 minutes, the gold standard for heart attack care.

If our heart team determines you need bypass surgery, you’ll be in the right place. We are the third largest heart program in Pennsylvania and are recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for heart care and heart surgery.

If you live outside the Lehigh Valley, we still can help. We’ve partnered with hospitals in Hazleton, Lehighton, Palmerton, Pottsville, Sellersville and Ashland. Our experienced MedEvac helicopter flight crew, along with local ambulance crews, ensure people experiencing heart attack symptoms in these communities get to our hospital as soon as possible.

If a serious heart attack stops the heart from sending oxygen to the brain, we can provide life-saving care. We are one of the first hospitals in the nation to use body-cooling technology called Arctic Sun. It lowers the body’s core temperature to 91 degrees, slowing metabolism and preventing dangerous swelling, giving you a better chance to heal.

To learn how we created USA’s best hospital for heart attack care, click here.

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