Heart Attack: What to Expect in the Emergency Room

If you or someone you love requires emergency heart treatment, you can make the visit to the emergency room more efficient by knowing when to go and what to expect. It's also important to know what you can do ahead of time to be prepared in the event of a heart attack.

When to Go to the Emergency Room

For many people, knowing when to seek emergency care isn't always clear. Most people know to call 9-1-1 right away when faced with a life-threatening situation, such as loss of consciousness, breathing trouble, or serious trauma. But heart attack symptoms aren't always as clear-cut. It may be hard to tell if the symptoms are a result of a heart crisis or heartburn, for example.

Remember, it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you feel it is an emergency, call 9-1-1 and ask them to send an ambulance right away. Then go to the emergency room.

Emergency medical services personnel can start caring for you as soon as they arrive. They can phone ahead to the emergency room to let them know you are coming.

These heart attack symptoms warrant an immediate trip to the emergency room.

• Chest discomfort that feels like pressure, fullness, or a squeezing pain in the center or left side of your chest. It lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
• Pain and discomfort that extends beyond your chest to other parts of your upper body, such as one or both arms, back, neck, stomach, teeth, and jaw
• Unexplained shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort

Any of the above listed symptoms accompanied by a cold sweat, nausea, lightheadedness, anxiety, or indigestion.

Be Prepared Before a Trip to the Emergency Room

You never know when you may need to go to the emergency room. Before an emergency happens, it is best to be prepared. Here are some steps you can take today to make any visit to the emergency room more efficient.

Create a file - and update it regularly -- that includes:

• Information on any chronic health conditions you have
• Results of past medical tests
• A list of your allergies
• A current list of medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements you are taking
• The names and numbers of your doctors, family, and friends who may need to be contacted
  

Keep this file in a place where you can find it quickly.

Call your health insurance company to find out which hospital emergency rooms are covered under your plan, and keep a list of their names, addresses, and phone numbers. But if you think you are having a heart attack, go to the closest hospital.

What to Bring to the Emergency Room

• Take your file with all your health information.
• Bring your insurance card.
• If time allows, have a loved one notify your doctor so that he or she can make appropriate preparations for your arrival at the emergency room.
• Bring paper and pen to document the treatment you or a loved one receives.
• Bring something to read while you wait, cash for the vending machines, and change for pay phones. Many hospitals do not allow you to use cell phones in the emergency room.