Heart Attack Warning Signs

 

• Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back

• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

• Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
   

Fast action can save lives — maybe your own. Don’t wait more than five minutes to call 9-1-1.

 

Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services (EMS) staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. [Source: AHA http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053] EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too. It is best to call EMS for rapid transport to the emergency room.

 

Some heart attacks are sudden and intense — the "movie heart attack," where no one doubts what's happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help.

 

As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

 

For more information, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit online at www.americanheart.org.

 

Stroke Warning Signs

 

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.

• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.

• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

 

If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don't delay! Immediately call 9-1-1.

 

It's very important to take immediate action. If given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke. tPA is the only FDA-approved medication for the treatment of stroke within three hours of stroke symptom onset. (Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared.)

 

For more information, call 1-888-4-stroke (1-888-478-7653) or online at www.strokeassociation.org.

 

Source: All of the above text came from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association websites.