This month marks the two-year anniversary of Paul’s heart attack. The 63-year-old clearly remembers that Monday morning, waking up to a strange feeling running up and down his entire left arm.

“I knew I shouldn’t ignore a classic heart attack symptom,” Paul says. Still, he reminded himself he wasn’t a typical heart attack candidate. He was tall and lean, ate well, didn’t smoke and didn’t even have high cholesterol.

Paul decided to get ready for work. But when the pain persisted, he asked his wife to drive him to the hospital. Before they could leave, he started sweating and having chest pain, and she called 911. The ambulance arrived minutes later.

What is a heart attack?
“Heart attacks occur when there is a blockage to one or more of the heart’s arteries, severely reducing or preventing blood flow to the heart,” explains Dave Hildebrandt, Emergency Medical Services supervisor at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Know the risks
Some people are more prone to heart attacks than others. Being older, having a family history of heart disease and smoking are common heart attack risks. Others include being overweight, inactive, and having diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Know the symptoms
Heart attack symptoms can vary dramatically. Although some are sudden and intense, most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. The American Heart Association advises to call 911 if you recognize any of the following:

• Chest discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.   
• Discomfort or pain in other areas of the upper body, especially in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.   
• Shortness of breath that may occur with or without chest discomfort.    
• Other signs, such as nausea, lightheadedness or breaking out in a cold sweat. 

Don’t waste time
During his 15 years in Emergency Medical Services, Hildebrandt has seen too many people delay treatment while waiting for symptoms to pass. “If you are unsure if your symptoms are due to a heart attack, it is better to call 911 right away and have the paramedics assess you,” he says. “The longer you delay treatment, the more damage a heart attack is likely to cause.”

“Don’t drive to the hospital,” he says. “If it is a heart attack, paramedics can begin treating you right away. If you drive to the hospital, your symptoms could get worse en route – your heart could even possibly stop beating, and paramedics would not be there to help. And, don’t go to a clinic. They would send you to the emergency center – they may even call paramedics. If you are having a heart attack, getting to the hospital and getting there quickly is most important, so that specialized treatment can be performed.” 

Bringing treatment to you
When paramedics arrived at Paul’s house, they asked him to describe his symptoms. They gave him an aspirin to help reduce clotting and nitroglycerin to help relieve pain. They also performed a 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) to see where the lack of oxygen was occurring.

Paul asked paramedics to take him to Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital Emergency Center since he knew of the hospital’s fast turnaround when treating heart attack patients. Paramedics informed the emergency center they were on their way.

To learn about Paul’s experience in the emergency center, read “Fast action in the emergency center.” To learn more about heart attacks and their symptoms, visit parknicollet.com/heart.