UI Chest Pain Center
A heart attack is still the most common cause of death in the United States. Every minute of every day someone dies from a heart attack.
Do you know the difference between chest pain and a heart attack? Andrew Nugent, MD, medical director of the Emergency Treatment Center at UI Hospitals and Clinics where the newly opened Chest Pint Center is located, says the classic heart attack symptoms are usually described as a squeezing, pressure or heaviness to the substernal or left chest, radiating to the jaw or left arm. Symptoms are worse with exertion and can be associated with shortness of breath or sweating. The classic heart attack victim is the overweight male smoker over the age of 30.
"Women are more likely to experience atypical symptoms, and may present with weakness, dizziness, a sudden decrease in exercise tolerance and variable pain patterns," says Nugent.
There is no simple way to determine the difference between chest pain and a heart attack Nugent says. "Cardiac problems are part of a continuum of symptoms from simple angina to myocardial infarction. We refer to this as 'Acute Coronary Syndrome.' Most patients who present to ED's with chest pain have normal EKG's and blood tests, but still may have significant disease. In short, it's a tough disease to diagnose.
"Anyone with new onset of chest pain or pressure or shortness of breath lasting more than a couple of minutes or worsened with exertion should call 911 and be evaluated at an emergency facility as soon as possible."
The UI Chest Pain Center is a specialized emergency department service that evaluates a patient's risk for cardiac disease and rules out a myocardial infarction over time. Nugent says the advantages of a chest pain unit include the relatively rapid rule out of a heart attack in six to eight hours, plus the addition of cardiac specialists to evaluate the patient's potential risk of cardiac disease.
When a person suffering chest pains come in to the center, he says each patient is evaluated for an acute heart attack. This evaluation includes a history, physical, EKG and blood tests. "If the initial exam is positive, then the patient is admitted to the hospital for rapid intervention.
"The patients with negative initial exams and low potential risk are the most likely to be admitted to the Chest Pain Center. These patients will have additional EKG's and blood tests performed over six to eight hours to rule out a developing heart attack," Nugent says. "If these tests remain negative, the patient will be evaluated by a cardiologist and an additional, exertional test, like a treadmill test, will be performed to make sure the patient does not have angina with exertion. Our patients are also assessed by our cardiac rehab personnel, who evaluate the risk factors for each patient and suggest changes to prevent the occurrence of heart problems in the future."
Nugent says you can prevent or at least decrease your risk for a heart attack by exercising, stopping smoking, eating healthy, and getting your cholesterol checked yearly. |
