Lake Regional Health System | Thrive | Winter 2020

HEART CARE T ime is muscle. If you’re having a heart attack, fast care not only increases your chance of survival, it also gives you a better chance of avoiding long-term heart trouble, including heart failure. “Every minute counts,” says Willie Maxwell, R.N., manager of Lake Regional’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab. “During a heart attack, a portion of the heart muscle is dying. Heart attacks often are caused by blocked blood ves- sels. Promptly restoring that blood flow to the heart is the best way to reduce the chance of permanent damage or disability.” In 2018, Lake Regional’s median door-to-balloon time was 44 minutes, a time that is better than 9 out of 10 hospitals nationwide. Door-to- balloon is the amount of time that passes between a patient arriving in the Emergency Department with a heart attack and the heart care team restoring blood flow in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. The process used to restore blood flow is called angioplasty. It also can be done to prevent a heart attack. Guided by X-rays, the cardiologist threads a small catheter through the blood vessels to the heart. This catheter ACT FAST for optimal heart health Is it a heart attack? Don’t wait—call 911 right away if you’re having: • Chest discomfort. Typically, that discomfort is in the cen- ter or left side of the chest. It usually lasts for more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. It can feel like squeezing, pressure, full- ness or pain. The feeling can be mild or severe. • Upper body discomfort. You may feel pain or discom- fort in your back, shoulders, neck, jaw, one or both arms, or above your belly button. • Shortness of breath. This may be your only symptom. Or it may occur before or with chest discomfort. • A cold sweat. • Fatigue for no reason — sometimes for days. • Light-headedness or dizziness. • Nausea and vomiting. • If you're a woman, know this: Like men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain. But women are more likely than men to have back or neck pain, indigestion, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, extreme fa- tigue, or problems breathing. Remember: Every minute matters. Acting fast could save your life. Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Lake Regional heart care team bests 9 out of 10 6 | Winter 2020