EAST TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
Keeping the hearts of East Texas
healthy
It’s a big goal, especially when heart disease
is the No. 1 cause of death in America.
So we’ve built a big program that includes
research, prevention and access to every
level of heart care in East Texas.
Whether it’s at the ETMC Chest Pain Center
or the ETMC Cardiovascular Institute; in
the office of an ETMC First Physician or in
the hands of ETMC EMS, our heart care
specialists are working around the clock to
stop this killer.
ETMC is dedicated to this goal — and we
need your help.
• Practice prevention
• Know the signs of heart attack
• If concerned, call 9-1-1 immediately
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Know the signs of heart attack.
Heart attack doesn’t always present as
crushing chest pain – especially in women.
•Chest pain or pressure in the center of the chest
that can range from mild to severe and lasts
more than a few minutes
•Discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck,
jaw or stomach
•Shortness of breath
•Feeling lightheaded
•Cold sweats
•Nausea
Call
immediately!
Calling 9-1-1 is like bringing the
emergency department to your door.
In addition to having oxygen,
heart medicine, pain medicine
and defibrillators on board, ETMC
ambulances are equipped with
technology that transmits crystalclear EKG data directly to our
trauma center.
As a result, ETMC emergency
physicians can determine the severity
of the heart attack, paramedics can
begin treatment, and cardiologists
can make preparations for the
patient’s arrival. It’s a system that
saves 20 minutes or more in the case
of severe heart attack – and saving
time saves lives.
EAST TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
ETMC is a not-for-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life in East Texas communities. etmc.org/cardiac
Prevent heart attack.
Some risk factors can’t be helped, such as age and
heredity. Others can be avoided or regulated with diet,
exercise or medicine. Know the facts and take action.
Blood pressure
Smoking
Facts: Good=120/80 mm Hg;
Facts: Cigarette smoking is addictive. It
High=140/90 mm Hg or more. High
blood pressure makes your heart work
harder than it should to move blood
throughout the body. Untreated, it can
lead to heart attack, stroke, eye and
kidney problems, and death.
Prevention: Have your doctor check your
pressure; aim for a healthy weight; stay
physically active; eat a healthy diet lower
in salt and sodium; limit alcohol intake;
take medicine if prescribed.
Cholesterol
Facts: Good=less than 200 mg/dL;
Borderline-high=200-239 mg/dL;
High=240 mg/dL or more. Too much
cholesterol clogs your arteries, which
leads to heart disease.
Prevention: After age 20, have your
cholesterol checked every five years,
or more often if it is high; learn what
your numbers mean; follow a diet low in
saturated fat and cholesterol; aim for a
healthy weight; stay physically active;
take medicine if prescribed.
Sleep
Facts: Sleeping less than 6 hours a night
on a regular basis doubles your chance
of heart attack and raises the risk of
congestive heart failure.
Prevention: Talk to your physician about
having a study at the ETMC Sleep
Disorders Center.
damages your heart and lungs and can
greatly increase your risk of heart attack
and cardiovascular disease.
Prevention: If you smoke, ask your physician
about cessation programs and stop now.
Weight
Facts: Body mass index (BMI)
is a calculation of your weight and height.
Underweight=20 or less; Healthy=20-25;
Overweight=25-30; Obese=30 or more.
Excess weight increases your risk of heart
attack, high blood pressure, high blood
cholesterol and diabetes. Visit etmc.org/
cardiac to compute your BMI.
Prevention: Maintain a healthy weight;
if you are overweight, try losing ½ to 1
pound a week; if you are obese, see your
physician about a weight loss plan.
Exercise
Facts: Physical inactivity increases your
risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
obesity, diabetes and heart attack.
Prevention: Experts recommend 30
minutes of moderate exercise each
day, such as walking, dancing, biking,
swimming, etc.
Delay can be deadly.
Don’t die because of possible embarrassment. If you think you are experiencing
symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately. Let the EMS professionals determine whether
you are having a heart attack or not. They can make a
diagnosis and begin treatment on the spot.
People delay because
•they don’t know the symptoms of heart attack.
•they are afraid or unwilling to admit that their
symptoms could be serious.
•they are embarrassed about false alarms.
•they don’t know the importance of acting right away.
•they falsely believe it’s a man’s disease – nearly half of all
heart attacks and heart attack deaths occur in women!
Don’t go to the hospital by car. It’s unsafe and delays treatment,
which can begin immediately with ETMC EMS.
Know the signs of
heart attack.
Heart attack
risk factors:
Do your part to
save your heart.
•Pain or pressure in the
center of the chest
•Cigarette smoking
•Know the signs of heart attack.
•Diabetes
•Know your blood pressure,
cholesterol and body mass index
numbers and keep them in line
through exercise and diet.
•Discomfort in one or both
arms, the back, neck, jaw
or stomach
•Shortness of breath
•Feeling lightheaded
•Cold sweats
•Nausea
Call
•High cholesterol
•High blood pressure
•Overweight/obesity
•Family history of early heart disease
•Talk to your doctor about your
risk and what to do in case of
heart attack.
•One or more previous heart attacks,
angina, bypass surgery, stroke or
blockages in neck or leg arteries
•Tell your family and friends about
the warning signs and importance
of 9-1-1.
•Age: 55 percent of heart attacks
occur in men and women over
age 65; 5 percent occur in people
under age 40.
Fill out the information on this
card and keep it in your wallet.
•Physical inactivity
Don’t think that being female makes you
immune to heart disease. Nearly half of
all heart attacks occur in women.
What is
heart attack?
Heart attack is the death of heart
tissue caused by a complete
blockage in one of the arteries
that supply blood to the heart,
interrupting the blood flow. When
heart tissue is deprived of bloodborne oxygen for longer than 30
minutes, it begins to die.
Blockage usually occurs from
coronary heart disease, a condition
in which deposits of cholesterol
Call
immediately!
If you or someone you’re with
is having chest discomfort,
especially in combination
with one or more of the other
and fatty material build up in the
arteries and block blood flow. When
the heart is unable to pump blood
throughout the body, permanent
brain damage and death can occur
within five minutes.
Quick action and medical treatment
can restore blood flow, but this can
happen only if the person receives
medical help right away.
Heart attack
survival plan
Information to share with
emergency & hospital staff:
Have you had
any previous
heart problems?
YES
NO
Do you have a
family history of
heart problems?
YES
Medicines you are taking:
Phone number after office hours:
Person(s) to be contacted if you
go to the hospital
Name:
longer than five minutes to
to get lifesaving treatment.
Phone number during office hours:
NO
warning signs, don’t wait
call 9-1-1. It’s the fastest way
Even if symptoms stop completely
in less than 5 minutes, you should
call your medical provider for a
health check.
Phone:
Medicines you are allergic to:
Work phone:
What’s your risk
for heart attack?
Yes
No
q
q
q
2. Is your blood pressure 140/90 mm Hg or
higher, or have you been told by your doctor
that your blood pressure is too high?
q
q
q
3. Is your total cholesterol level 200 mg/dL or
higher, or your HDL (good cholesterol) 40
mg/dL or lower?
q
q
q
4. Has your father or brother had a heart attack
before age 55 or your mother or sister had
one before age 65?
q
q
q
5. Do you have diabetes or a fasting blood
sugar of 126 mg/dL or higher, or do you
need medicine to control your blood sugar?
q
q
q
6. Are you a man 45 years of age or older or a
woman 55 years of age or older?
q
q
q
7. Do you have a body mass index score of 26
or more?
q
q
q
8. Do you get less than a total of 30 minutes of
physical activity on most days?
q
q
q
9. Has a doctor told you that you have angina
(chest pains), or have you had a heart attack?
q
q
q
10. Do you have trouble sleeping more than six
hours a night?
q
q
q
1.
Do you smoke?
Maybe
Answering “yes” to even one of these questions increases your chance of
heart attack. If you have a number of risk factors, or if you don’t know
your blood pressure, cholesterol or body mass index, check with your
physician. If you need a physician, call the ETMC HealthFirst line at
1-800-648-8141 for a referral.
To learn more about the ETMC Cardiovascular Institute or to access this guide online,
visit etmc.org/cardiac