Emergency Heart Care
When a heart attack strikes, every minute matters. In fact, the first few minutes are critical in determining the short-term and long-term outcomes for the patient. Make sure you know what signs to look for and what to do if you or someone you know experiences a serious heart problem. Quickly taking action will help ensure that the victim gets proper medical treatment before it’s too late.
Call 9-1-1 if you or a loved one is experiencing a medical emergency.
Next Steps
Duke Heart Network
Sovah Health and Duke Health make a powerful combination in heart care. As a Duke Health heart affiliate, the Sovah Health heart team has access to Duke Heart Center's clinical experience and expertise as we further enhance our full-service cardiovascular program.
Quality Heart Care
The national recognition we've earned demonstrates our staff's commitment to providing the highest quality of care including American College of Cardiology Chest Pain Center Accreditation, Heart Failure Accreditation and Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation with PCI.
We are dedicated to providing our patients with the best heart care treatment available. As an accredited facility, we use the newest methods and best practices in heart care to ensure that our patients receive:
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- Right care at the right time to minimize or eliminate heart damage due to heart attack
- Timely and accurate diagnoses to reduce the disruption to your life and get you back home as soon as possible
- Help and communication to better understand how to respond to your heart emergencies
- Improved quality of life after a heart episode
Why Call 911?
More than 50 percent of all patients experiencing chest pain walk into the Emergency Room rather than calling 911 and in Sovah Health, that percentage is actually quite a bit higher. The reasons for this are numerous, ranging from the instinct to just jumping in the car and driving to the nearest hospital to the misunderstanding that the emergency squad is just a transport vehicle. The fact remains that calling 911 starts treatment earlier.
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- 911 dispatchers are often trained to locate you quickly and assist you in early treatment options
- In many areas, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) can diagnosis a heart attack by using an electrocardiogram (ECG) and also initiate early treatment
- Arriving by ambulance to the Emergency Room helps to ensure that you will not wait to be seen by a physician. Many patients who experience chest pain drive themselves, only to find that they may wait in the Emergency Room lobby until they can see the doctor.
- EMS can radio ahead and has technology to notify the Emergency Room that you are on your way. This enables the Emergency Room staff to be ready for you when you arrive through their doors.
Don’t Drive, Stay Alive – Call 911