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Post by bearmom on Jun 19, 2016 23:10:46 GMT
If you think you might be having a heart attack call 911 instead of driving yourself (or having someone drive you). There is one heart attack type ST elevation (STEMI) where you are rushed to the catheterization lab where the place stents for treatment. And time is heart muscle in this case.
In a lot of areas, paramedics can diagnose the heart attack in the field and activate the cath lab bypassing the ER completely. Also, if your closest hospital doesn't have a cath lab, the can skip stopping there and go to the nearest hospital that does.
I used to review times for our hospital and the times were much better (by like 30-60 minutes) for those who called EMS versus those who drove themselves to the ER, especially those times when the cath lab staff are not at the hospital and have to be called in.
Same goes for if you suspect a stroke, EMS can often take you straight to have a CT San before going to the ER.
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 6,973
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Jun 19, 2016 23:23:52 GMT
Thank you for the extra inside info.
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Post by genealopea on Jun 19, 2016 23:37:40 GMT
Thank you - that was really helpful!
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Post by mikklynn on Jun 19, 2016 23:53:31 GMT
Great info!
When DH had his heart attack, he had no pain in the chest or anywhere. His symptom was periodic episodes of shortness of breath, 5 minutes or so, then fine. We called his oncology nurse who insisted we go to the ER. He had his heart attack in the ER, so we were incredibly lucky.
Please, don't hesitate to call 911. Thank God we called the nurse line.
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Post by yivit on Jun 19, 2016 23:53:53 GMT
One of my coworkers had this exact kind of event Memorial Day weekend. It was a widowmaker that he not only survived but walked out to meet the EMTs - he's crazy like that. He was home alone and started cataloging symptoms - took him 50 minutes to decide to call 911. 5 minutes for EMTs to arrive, about 10 minutes to get him to the hospital from arrival to plugging him into the onboard monitors and saying "yep, ER time you're having a heart attack", and then an initial triage in ER then wheeled next door across the walkway to the heart institute for a balloon angioplasty and a stent. From initial onset to stent done and awake in CICU: 3 hours. He's back at work (well, part time and he's teleworking) and has his follow-up with the cardiologist this coming week.
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zookeeper
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,909 
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Post by zookeeper on Jun 19, 2016 23:55:21 GMT
My dh is one of those awesome cath lab techs that come in to save your life. He saved three lives this weekend on call because the paramedics called in for a STEMI. Please do not drive yourself.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 15, 2024 13:44:41 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2016 1:27:48 GMT
Excellent advice....wish I had known better years ago. My mom had a period of time...id say a year or so, that she was being treated by a pulmonary specialist for "asthma"....
She would call me not being able to breath & I would take her to her dr but by the time we got there, she always felt better. She never had chest pain or arm pain...
Eventually, I told that dr that this could NOT be asthma... Found out she had had at least 4 "silent" heart attacks.
She survived that & had 5 by pass surgery a year or so later.
But I was driving her to the dr when she needed an ambulance & an ER!
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Post by tenacious on Jun 20, 2016 1:35:32 GMT
Excellent advice.
My dad had his heart attack while driving. My mom took over the car and drove directly to an Instacare that was close by (she was in a bit of a panic). Instead of calling an ambulance, they put her and my dad back in their car and sent them to the local hospital (my dad was unresponsive at this point). It took her 15 minutes to get to the hospital and another 20 minutes to stabilize him in the Emergency Room.
Long story short, he didn't make it. I firmly believe if the clinic had called an ambulance that he could have bypassed the emergency room and would have lived.
Erin
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Post by anonrefugee on Jun 20, 2016 3:19:03 GMT
Great PSA and supporting info! Thank you other RefuPeas for sharing your stories too.
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Post by anniefb on Jun 20, 2016 5:46:13 GMT
Great info!
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