February is American Heart Month
It’s that time of year again…time to call attention to the fact that heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States. More than 600,000 people die annually of heart disease and more than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. Simply said; too many people are not getting help in time to save critical heart muscle – or sometimes, their lives.
The tragic truth is that too many people do not call an ambulance or they wait too long before calling 911. This is especially true of women.
Nationwide, the average patient arrives in the emergency department more than two hours after the onset of symptoms. In Utah, our 2012 data shows that too many people drive to the hospital or are driven there – instead of calling 911.
That means that many patients unknowingly delayed heart-muscle saving and perhaps life-saving care. They did not realize that the sooner a heart attack is diagnosed and treated, the less permanent damage would be done to heart muscle and the better the long-term outcome.
And, they may not have known that ambulances in communities throughout Utah are outfitted with technology that enables diagnosis of a heart attack by hospital ED and heart specialists – while the patient is in transit. Our specialists have partnered with EMS providers in the Box Elder County area to significantly reduce the time it takes to diagnose and treat patients with heart attack symptoms.
This is only one of the factors that led to Brigham City Community Hospital and five other MountainStar facilities to being first in Utah to achieve Chest Pain Center Accreditations by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.
To achieve this national accreditation, our chest pain specialists demonstrated a higher level of expertise in caring for patients with heart attack symptoms. Working with our EMS partners, we are more effectively more effectively reducing the time it takes to accurately assess, diagnose and treat a patient who is potentially experiencing a coronary event. And, we are taking greater advantage of the most effective and potentially life-saving time to treat heart attacks – during the critical early stages.
Despite this collaborative effort to improve heart care, people who live in our community still need to do their part. That’s why we’re asking them to memorize the warning signs of a heart attack:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Pain or discomfort in the arms, jaw, neck, back or stomach
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint
- Breaking out in a cold sweat or having sudden nausea
You can help to save a life – perhaps your own – by calling 911 if you or someone you know might be having a heart attack. But don’t wait for those warning signs!