Heart Emergencies Require Timely Care
5/4/2021
Pay attention to the warning signs and don’t let the pandemic stop you
Brooksville, Florida, May 4, 2021 – We’ve changed habits and actions to protect our health during the pandemic, but one thing still remains the same – we need to take quick action with a possible heart attack or stroke. Life-threatening blockages and arrhythmias need timely detection and treatment to support the best possible outcome. Waiting to get help can increase the damage to heart muscle or brain tissue.
Bayfront Health Brooksville and Spring Hill have deep resources ready to support diagnosis and intervention in the event of heart attack or stroke. Both hospitals are Chest Pain Accredited by the American College of Cardiology and Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals. Bayfront Health Brooksville opened a second cardiac catheterization lab in September 2020 which has created additional capacity to respond to emergencies and for cardiology specialists to schedule cardiovascular procedures.
“There has never been a more exhaustive or prolonged medical challenge in recent times than the covid-19 pandemic, but the community can rest assured that the Bayfront emergency departments and hospitals are exceedingly prepared to provide expeditious care when your medical needs arise,” said Franklin Poff III, D.O., emergency department medical director. “We understand it's difficult to make the decision to go to the hospital at this time, but when seconds and minutes make all the difference in outcomes (like heart attacks and strokes), you can trust our teams will have everyone's safety prioritized while timely interventions and medical workups are performed.”
Concern for safety during the pandemic has kept many people from seeking medical help and that can get in the way of timely treatment in an emergency. Bayfront Health Brooksville and Spring Hill are actively working to maintain a safe place patients can get medical help whether for a medical emergency or routine care.
The hospitals’ precautions include enhanced practices for infection prevention and furniture arrangement to support social distancing and patient flow. Caregivers practice infection prevention including wearing personal protective equipment and washing hands before and after caring for each patient. Care for any COVID-19 positive patients is in a separate, designated unit.
Dr. Poff continued, “It is our goal to provide the same care for patients that we would provide for our own loved ones; you can trust that we will keep in mind the best workup, support, safety, Covid-19 responsiveness, and quality for every single patient, every single visit, every single day.”
Calling 9-1-1 for an ambulance is the best action rather than trying to drive to the hospital yourself when you or someone you are with experiences heart attack or stroke symptoms. EMS crews are trained to care for patients experiencing heart attack and stroke, so you’ll get medical care sooner.
Signs of a possible heart attack can include chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, and/or pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, arm or shoulder. Women also may feel nauseous, light-headed or unusually tired.
Symptoms of a stroke can be remembered with the acronym F-A-S-T:
- Face drooping - Does one side of the face droop or is it numb?
- Arm weakness - Is one arm weak or numb?
- Speech difficulty - Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand?
- Time to call 911 - If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately.
If you need more information on your personal risk factors for heart disease, schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor, or visit BayfrontBrooksville.com/Find-a-doctor to be connected with qualified cardiologist on the medical staff at Bayfront Health Brooksville and Spring Hill.
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