A Leader in Heart Attack Care
Our heart and vascular team is committed to making sure you or your loved one has the highest-quality heart attack (myocardial infarction) care possible. We’ve earned a Level 1 STEMI accreditation for our team’s ability to quickly and appropriately treat even the most severe type of heart attacks (an ST elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI).
A heart attack happens when the blood flow that brings oxygen to your heart muscle is cut off or severely reduced. Every minute matters when someone is having a heart attack to restore blood flow to the blocked heart arteries and preserve heart muscle function. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend that someone having a STEMI get treatment within 90 minutes. Our median time is 47 minutes, which is better than 90% of hospitals in the United States.
It's important to know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. Call 911 right away if you or someone else is or could be having a heart attack.
Our Immediate Heart Attack Care
We partner with local emergency medical services (EMS) so your care begins in the ambulance. When the EMS team members determine you’re having a heart attack, they notify our STEMI team. We prepare for your arrival to get you directly to the cardiac catheterization lab to unblock your artery, which saves time and heart muscle.
Our heart attack treatment options include:
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (a minimally invasive procedure that uses a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to open blocked blood vessels with a balloon and keep them open with a small mesh tube called a stent)
- Clot-busting medication (also known as thrombolytic medication, the most common of which is tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA)
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (also known as heart bypass surgery, an open-heart surgical procedure in which the surgeon takes blood vessels from other areas of the body to carry blood around a blockage and allow it to reach the heart)
Comprehensive Care During Recovery From a Heart Attack
Your care doesn’t stop after the initial emergency of a heart attack is over. We’re here for you through treatment and recovery. To help you regain your strength and learn new heart health habits, we offer a cardiac rehabilitation program.
Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack and taking the proper steps to seek medical attention can mean the difference between life and death. Heart attack symptoms include:
- Pain or discomfort in the arms, back, jaw, neck, shoulders, teeth or upper stomach
- Chest pain that can feel like aching, pain, pressure, tightness or squeezing
- Cold sweats
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath
Heart attack symptoms can be different for women than for men. Both can experience chest pain, but women may experience other symptoms that are typically less associated with a heart attack, such as:
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or vomiting
- Back or jaw pain