Think You’re Having a Heart Attack? Call 9-1-1 Immediately.

Discomfort, fullness, squeezing, pressure or pain in your chest, or unexplained extreme fatigue – these are some of the symptoms women experience when having a heart attack

If you have these symptoms or others including chest discomfort with shortness of breath, nausea or lightheadedness, don’t delay. Call 9-1-1.

Women – your symptoms of a heart attack can be different from a man’s. It’s important for you to understand the warning signs so you can take action immediately by calling 9-1-1. And when you call, tell the operator, “I think I’m having a heart attack.” You deserve to get the fastest response possible and give your heart a fighting chance.

If you have ANY of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately and chew and swallow an aspirin tablet. Listen to your body. The sooner you get help, the better. You only have one heart. Protect it. Every minute counts!

When you call 9-1-1, and when you arrive at the emergency room, be clear and direct. Say, “I think I’m having a heart attack.” No one in the ambulance or at the emergency room will make you feel embarrassed if it is not a heart attack.

Every minute counts!

Getting to the emergency room as soon as you start experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack is so important because prompt treatment means less permanent damage to your heart. At our emergency departments at Cedar Crest and Muhlenberg, our MI Alert program ensures a doctor will quickly diagnosis and treat you if you’re having a heart attack. The goal is to open a blocked vessel with an angioplasty (a balloon that inflates to open your artery) in 90 minutes or less. This is known as the “gold standard” in heart care.

If you live outside of the Allentown and Bethlehem areas, you can take comfort knowing that we’ve expanded MI Alert into our surrounding areas. A collaborative program with Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital, Palmerton Hospital and Greater Hazleton Health Alliance gives you access to our specialized heart care. With the program, we hope to build awareness in your community on how to respond to a heart attack. It also gets you to either the Cedar Crest or Muhlenberg ER by MedEvac helicopter, when necessary.

We’re also working in partnership with Grand View Hospital and its cardiologists to bring state-of-the-art technology to your community by building a cardiac catheterization lab right in your hometown hospital so the gold standard of care is available to you closer to home.

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