Baystate offers tips for surviving a heart attack
SPRINGFIELD - The message is loud and clear. At the onset of symptoms of a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately and get to a hospital right away.
"Every second counts and can mean the difference between life and death and the saving of precious heart muscle," said Dr. Marc Schweiger, interim director, Division of Cardiology, Baystate Medical Center, noting in average treatment time for heart attack patients, Baystate Medical Center ranks in the top 10 percent nationally.
Schweiger said getting to an emergency department with access to life-saving, interventional treatment can also make a big difference in a heart attack patient's recovery. National studies have proven that a greater number of lives are saved when heart attack patients are quickly treated in a state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratory.
In Western Massachusetts, Baystate Medical Center is the only hospital to offer the services of a cardiac cath lab open round-the-clock, seven days a week that is staffed by trained, licensed and experienced technical personnel with a cardiologist on call at all times.
"Because we have the availability of a cardiac cath lab, patients have immediate availability to primary angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction," Schweiger said.
"This means when a patient arrives at our Emergency Department with a heart attack, we are equipped to perform an urgent coronary angiogram and immediately unblock clogged arteries with angioplasty or stenting, allowing us to restore the flow of blood to the affected area of the heart, thus saving muscle in the shortest possible amount of time," he added.
In 2006, experienced staff in Baystate Medical Center's high-volume cardiac catheterization lab performed 3,359 diagnostic procedures and 1,630 interventions. The lab is staffed by 11 experienced, Board-certified interventional cardiologists.
"We treat more heart attack patients at Baystate Medical Center than at any other hospital in Massachusetts," Schweiger said.
The American Heart Association lists the following warning signs of a heart attack:
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, such as 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. May occur with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs. Breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
Also, while women experience many of the same symptoms as men, including chest pain or discomfort, they are more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting or lightheadedness.
"Many of the people we see with heart attacks are usually at-risk with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or they are smokers, and many also have a family history of heart disease," Schweiger said.
"The other night I performed angioplasties on three patients, two were in their late forties and the other was in his thirties, and every one of them was a smoker. So, the message is to stop smoking, get your cholesterol checked and blood pressure treated, and if you have chest or arm pain, whether or not it is associated with nausea, vomiting or sweating, you need to get evaluated very quickly," he added.
Schweiger also noted that while chest pain which lasts only a few seconds, then goes away and comes back for a few seconds more, is generally not symptomatic of a heart attack, it still requires getting evaluated quickly since heart attacks can be associated with a life-threatening arrhythmia.
In recognition of Baystate Medical Center's exceptional care of heart attack patients, the hospital, whose specialists have trained at some of the most prestigious heart institutes in the country, has been named one of the Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospitals in the United States by Solucient for two years in a row, and is a 2006 national Premier Award winner for the care of heart attack patients.
To learn more about Baystate Medical Center's life-saving cardiac capabilities, visit baystatehealth.com or call The Professionals at 1-800-377-HEALTH.
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