Chest Pain Awareness

Knowing the signs and symptoms of heart disease can save your life.

Heart attacks have beginnings. These beginnings occur in more than 50% of patients. Most importantly, if recognized in time, these "beginnings" can be treated before the heart is damaged!

Next Steps

Survive, Don't Drive - Call 911

Watch an animation of a heart attack from the American Heart Association.

Alarming Statistics

Heart disease causes approximately 1 of 4 deaths in the United States.
About 50% of sudden cardiac deaths occur outside a hospital. This suggests that many people don’t act on early warning signs.
Survey results show that only 27% of the respondents were aware of all major symptoms and knew to call 911.

By sharing Early Heart Attack Education (EHAC), we can change these sobering statistics!

Early Signs

Early signs and symptoms that can begin hours or days before a heart attack. You may or may not experience any or all of these symptoms. You may experience mild chest symptoms, such as pressure, burning, aching or tightness. These symptoms may come and go until finally becoming constant and severe.

Nausea, lightheadness or cold sweats
Pain that travels down one or both arms
Jaw pain
Fatigue
Anxiety
Chest pressure, squeezing or discomfort
Back pain
Shortness of breath
Feeling of fullness
Sleep disturbances including bouts of insomnia or trouble either getting to sleep or staying asleep
Indigestion

While these are the primary signs of heart attack in adults, women can often experience less commons signs and symptoms, such as:

Sharp, burning chest pain
Fluttering in the chest (also known as arrhythmia)
Pain in the neck, jaw, abdomen or throat
Upper back pain
Indigestion or heartburn
Nausea or vomiting
Extreme fatigue
Upper body discomfort
Shortness of breath
Swelling of the feet, ankles, legs or abdomen

If you one or more of these symptoms, you owe it to yourself to get these symptoms checked out immediately at Sumner Regional Medical Center's Emergency Department

Cardiac Arrest: Minutes Matter

When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. According to the American Heart Association, about 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

Watch the following video from the American Heart Association for another demonstration of Hands-Only CPR.

Learn the signs. Minutes matter! Fast action can save lives — maybe your own. Don't wait – call 9-1-1 or your emergency response number.

We are an accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI, certified by ACC Accreditation Services, the accrediting arm of the American College of Cardiology.