Heart Emergencies Require Timely Care
3/12/2021
Pay attention to the warning signs and don’t let the pandemic stop you
PALMER – From face covers to physical distancing and temperature checks, we’ve made a lot of changes to protect our health during the pandemic. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the need to take quick action when we see signs of a heart attack or a stroke.
Life-threatening blockages and arrhythmias need timely treatment to support the best possible outcome. Waiting to get help can increase damage to the heart or brain.
“When someone is experiencing symptoms of a heart attack they need quick diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Rodney Badger, an interventional cardiologist with Mat-Su Heart in Palmer. “Time is muscle. Time is heart muscle. The longer someone waits to seek treatment, the more the heart muscle is damaged,” he said.
Mat-Su Regional Medical Center provides comprehensive emergency care for heart attacks and strokes. The hospital has a team of specialists trained in heart and stroke care, including emergency medicine physicians, cardiologists, nurses, technologists and a cardiac catheterization lab. Mat-Su Regional is accredited as a Chest Pain Center by the American College of Cardiology and an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital by The Joint Commission.
“If a person gets treatment within two hours of the onset of symptoms, there is a good probability that they will have a full recovery,” Badger said. “The longer one waits, the more damage there is and sometimes the damage is irreversible.”
Concern for safety during the pandemic has kept many from seeking timely medical care, which can lead to more serious health conditions. The number of heart attacks didn’t decrease because of the pandemic, Badger noted. “Unfortunately, many people have delayed seeking care until they’re experiencing severe symptoms,” he said.
Mat-Su Regional is actively working to maintain a safe environment for patients. Hospital precautions include enhanced practices for infection prevention, controlling access to the facility, and furniture arrangement to support physical distancing and patient flow. All staff practice rigorous infection prevention protocols including wearing personal protective equipment and washing hands before and after interacting with patients. Care for any COVID-19 positive patients is in a separate, designated unit.
“Early on in the pandemic, people were very resistant to seeking care. There was this hunker-down mentality and people were just afraid,” Badger said. “Unfortunately, we would see people come in late, when the heart would have more damage.”
Badger said that’s changed a lot and people are becoming more proactive about their care and more comfortable with coming to the hospital for treatment. “We’re seeing people sooner now, which means better outcomes.”
“If you’re having chest pain, come in, let us check you out,” said Badger. “I’d rather have you come in, check you out and say ‘You’re okay,’ than have you ignore the warning signs and put off coming in until you’re suffering acute symptoms.”
Calling 9-1-1 for an ambulance is the best action rather than trying to drive to the hospital yourself when you or someone you are with experiences heart attack or stroke symptoms. EMS crews are trained to care for patients experiencing heart attack and stroke, so you’ll get medical care sooner.
Signs of a possible heart attack can include chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, and/or pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, arm or shoulder. Women also may feel nauseous, light-headed or unusually tired.
Symptoms of a stroke can be remembered with the acronym B-E-F-A-S-T:
- B: Balance - Does the person have a loss of balance?
- E: Eyes - Has the person lost vision in one or both eyes, or had a significant change?
- F: Face - Does the person's face droop or is it numb?
- A: Arms - Can the person raise both arms for 10 seconds?
- S: Speech - Is the person's speech slurred or garbled?
- T: Time - Call 911 and take note of what time the symptoms started. Every second counts!
If you need more information on your personal risk factors for heart disease, schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor. You can also take a quick online heart risk assessment or schedule an appointment with Mat-Su Heart at (907) 861-6700.
Photo caption:
Rodney Badger, M.D., interventional cardiologist with Mat-Su Heart, discusses heart care between seeing patients in his clinic in the medical plaza on the campus of Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Badger said fear of COVID has kept many from seeking needed medical care, but with the rollout of the vaccine, the tide is now turning and people are less fearful.
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