| If you experience any signs or symptoms of a | | | | the hospital, the better the chances are that he |
| heart attack, do not hesitate. Get medical help | | | | or she will live. Know the signs and symptoms of |
| immediately. Every minute is important in a heart | | | | a heart attack, and when you see someone |
| attack situation. Always keep emergency phone | | | | experience them, get that person to advanced |
| numbers in a convenient location near the | | | | health care as soon as possible. They may try to |
| telephone so no time will be wasted. Your local | | | | tell you they don't need to see a doctor, but don't |
| emergency medical service (EMS) for an | | | | take no for an answer. It's always better to be |
| ambulance to take you to the hospital.Medical | | | | safe. Your efforts can make the difference |
| treatment, including clot-dissolving medicine, can | | | | between life and death.Your Emergency Response |
| save your life and reduce damage to the heart | | | | Can Save a LifeYou can make a difference in the |
| muscle, but only if treatment begins very soon | | | | event of a cardiac emergency if you have some |
| after a heart attack occurs. Waiting, even if only | | | | basic training. Organizations such as the American |
| for fifteen minutes, can result in damage to the | | | | Heart Association and American Red Cross offer |
| heart muscle that could have been avoided with | | | | training for laypeople. Each year, thousands of |
| immediate treatment. EMS teams can begin | | | | lives are saved by people who learned CPR and |
| administering care from the moment they | | | | how to use automated external defibrillators |
| arrive.What If Someone Else Has Warning Signs?It | | | | (AEDs) and who were able to respond quickly to |
| is very common for people to deny that they are | | | | emergency situations.A tragic incident occurred at |
| having a heart attack. Often people think the pain | | | | a law firm during their annual holiday party. One of |
| and discomfort is indigestion and will go away. It is | | | | the attorneys collapsed from a heart attack in |
| frightening for most people to admit that they | | | | the midst of the festivities. None of the |
| may be having a heart attack. Almost anyone | | | | partygoers knew CPR. Although emergency |
| with a family member who has suffered from a | | | | assistance arrived, he died. Perhaps his life could |
| heart attack will tell you that the family member's | | | | have been saved if someone had taken |
| initial reaction was to deny or to minimize the | | | | emergency training. After the event, the firm |
| seriousness of the symptoms.Early care is critical | | | | initiated an internal CPR training program for its |
| to survival. Every second counts. The sooner a | | | | staff. It was an unfortunate case of learning a |
| person who is having a heart attack arrives at | | | | lesson the hard way. |