Know the Heart Attack Signs. Then Call 9-1-1.

She called 9-1-1 right away—When Richard Silverman of South Whitehall Township, Pa., started having chest discomfort, his wife called 9-1-1. Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network’s MI Alert for Heart Attacks program was initiated by paramedics Matt Keiper and Steph Burke en route to the hospital. He received his life-saving treatment in the cardiac catheterization laboratory within 24 minutes of arriving. The national “gold standard” for this procedure is 90 minutes.

• Chest pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Arm, back, neck, jaw or stomach pain.
• Lightheadedness or shortness of breath.
• Cold sweats.

Don’t ignore these heart attack warning signs. Call 9-1-1 immediately and say you think you’re having a heart attack. Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network has educated most paramedics to diagnose heart attacks in the field. That means your treatment begins on the way to the hospital. “The quicker you are treated, the better the chance you’ll avoid permanent heart damage,” says cardiologist George Persin, D.O. For a free magnet with heart attack warning signs, call 610-402-CARE.

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