Accredited Chest Pain Center
Northwest Health - Porter is ready to handle any cardiac emergency. Our Chest Pain Center is highly specialized and devoted to treating patients with acute coronary syndrome. It is designed to enhance patient care by decreasing the time to treatment for heart attack. The team rapidly identifies patients presenting with unstable angina (chest pain), and provides fast treatment to help in preventing heart attacks. We are dedicated to providing 24-hour care for the treatment of chest pain.
Northwest Health - Porter has received full accreditation with Primary PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) from the American College of Cardiology.
Accreditation means the hospital has demonstrated its commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of rigorous criteria and undergoing an onsite review by a team of accreditation review specialists. Key areas in which an Accredited Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include:
- Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
- Assessing, diagnosing and treating patients quickly
- Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms
- Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
- Ensuring the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Center personnel
- Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
- Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
- Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack
Heart Attack: Know the Signs
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Most heart damage occurs within the first two hours of a heart attack. Know the subtle signs and act - before heart damage occurs.
Early Warning Signs
Heart attack signs may be mild or come and go at first. Over time, symptoms and pain intensify.
- Chest pressure, squeezing, aching or burning
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling of fullness
- Pain that travels down one or both arms
- Jaw pain
- Excessive fatigue or weakness
- Anxiety
- Nausea or vomiting
- Back pain
Instead of chest pain or pressure, some people have:
- A sharp or "knife-like" pain that occurs with coughing or breathing
- Pain that spreads above the jawbone or into the lower body
- Difficult or labored breathing
Men: Normally feel pain and numbness in the left arm or side of the chest.
Women: Symptoms may appear on the right side.
Women may also:
- Feel exhausted, drained, dizzy or nauseous
- Feel upper back pain that travels into the jaw
- Think stomach pain is the flu, heartburn or an ulcer
- Be less likely to seek immediate medical care, causing more heart damage