Every year, about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack, which account for a large portion of orthopedic services around the nation. Heart attacks affects both men and women, and about half of Americans have at least one risk factor which includes: high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and smoking. By learning how to recognize a heart attack, you will be better prepared to get help sooner from an experienced medical center, therefore cutting down the risk of damage being done to your heart. In addition, your recovery will be faster and there will be less chance of you having to use orthopedic services later on.
Signs to Look For
The most common sign of a heart attack is some sort of discomfort in the chest. If you have pain or discomfort that lasts for more than a couple minutes and feels like pressure, crushing, or squeezing, this may be a sign of a heart attack. Along with chest discomfort comes shortness of breath, as the heart and lungs are closely related. Sometimes this can happen without chest discomfort, but if you feel like you are struggling to breathe, it is time to get help.
Pain or an uncomfortable feeling may happen in other areas of your body while having a heart attack as well. The most common symptoms include an upset feeling in the stomach, pain in the neck, jaw, arm, or back. Other signs of a heart attack include breaking out into a sweat for seemingly no reason, nausea, vomiting, and a feeling of lightheaded. Even if you do not have a heart history and start experiencing symptoms, it is important to get help right away.
What Happens Next
If you or a loved one are experiencing these symptoms, call 911 right away. The ambulance will take you to the closest heart center so you can receive the proper care you need. Once you are admitted, a team of doctors, nurses, and cardiologists will go to work with state of the art cardiology diagnostics to see exactly what is happening inside of your heart. After the diagnostics are done, the doctors will do what they can to stop the heart attack and then admit you into the hospital for observation.
Most hospitals have a cardiovascular department where patients who have experienced heart attacks are placed so they are closely monitored day and night. There may be some work with orthopedic services during this time as well, depending on the severity of the heart attack.
Heart attacks happens every 43 seconds to someone in the United States, so it is important to know the warning signs and understand what happens once you reach the hospital. Time is of vital importance during a heart attack so do not wait, call right away if you are experiencing any of the symptoms above.