Heart Attack

When you think of heart emergencies, you think first of heart attack - and with good reason. It is the most common cardiac emergency by far. It is often deadly.

At Mission Hospital, our system of response for heart attack has been winning recognition and saving lives for many years. In the past five, we've been the regional leader in the North Carolina plan called RACE to make sure that heart attack patients receive the treatment recommended by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.

Your Part

With heart attack and stroke, every minute counts. That means that what you do in the first minutes of a heart attack can make the difference between life and death. Look for these signs and symptoms:

Chest discomfort or pain - pressure, squeezing, a sense of fullness, or pain
Pain extending into one or both arms, back, neck, jaw and upper stomach
Shortness of breath
Breaking out in a cold sweat
Nausea and/or vomiting
Lightheadedness or weakness.

Women may not have the classic crushing chest pain. They are likely to have shortness of breath, and unexplained fatigue.

Heart attack patients often report a strong sense of impending doom.

If there is any possibility that you or somebody around could might be having a heart attack (or stroke) CALL 911 immediately!

When you call 911, your hospital is notified to expect a possible heart attack. Care can begin at the moment the first responders arrive. When you get to the hospital, you to straight in at the door. So:

Don't wait and see
Don't take time to call your doctor
Don't worry about looking foolish
Don't drive to the hospital - there will be nobody to help if the patient gets worse on the way

When you arrive at Mission: Code STEMI

You've heard of "Code Blue" - the overhead page that goes out in case of possible cardiac arrest, that instantly brings the necessary team to the bedside for intervention.

At Mission, we've added other codes to get the same response for patients, including Code Stroke and one specifically for heart attacks: Code STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction). Calling this code when a heart attack patient is expected brings together the cardiologists, nurses and technicians needed to provide immediate intervention, whether it's medication, cardiac catheterization and reperfusion, or open heart surgery. It's a system of care so fast and polished that our "door to balloon" times - the minutes between the time you are wheeled into the emergency department and the time you receive treatment to open your blocked coronary artery - is now an average of 60 minutes - a full half hour FASTER than the national standard of 90 minutes.

When a Code STEMI is called, heart attack patients brought to Mission by ambulance with a suspected heart attack are met at the Emergency Department door by a cardiologist. In many cases they go straight to the cardiac catheterization lab, which is available 24/7 to provide cardiac catheterization and reperfusion - restoring blood flow in the heart from within its vessels. If indicated, they receive open heart surgery.

Protecting the brain when the heart stops
Therapeutic hypothermia is a new intervention being used at Mission for patients who have suffered cardiac arrest and had heartbeat restored, but may not be fully responsive. The body's temperature is lowered, which helps protect the brain, and then very gradually brought back to normal. Therapeutic hypothermia can be started immediately, while the patient is on the way to a cardiac catheterization. Results have been very promising.

As You Recover
Mission's care for heart attack patients is just as intense in the days following the event. Intensive care units specifically for people who have experienced a heart attack or other medical heart emergency provide closely supervised care, to identify and treat any problems during the process. Nurses begin teaching patients and families how to live in a healthy way after hospital discharge, and about the benefits of the Heart Path cardiac rehabilitation.