Chest Pain Center
If you or someone you're with has chest discomfort,
call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital immediately. |
Washington Adventist Hospital is accredited as a Cycle III Chest Pain Center with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). Washington Adventist Hospital is the first in the Washington DC region and only the second in Maryland to achieve this high level of accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC). It means our patient care procedures have been approved and recognized as exceeding the rigorous standards of the Society. Our approach allows physicians and staff to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective.
Heart Attack Diagnosis & Treatment
Chest pain can come on suddenly at any time. You may try to ignore it at first, but your chest pain has you scared and worried. Could you be having a heart attack? Should you go to the emergency room (ER)? The answer is YES!
Chest pain can be one of the most difficult symptoms to interpret. But spending time in the ER having your chest pain evaluated can bring you peace of mind, and may even save your life.
The approach of our Chest Pain Center allows physicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective. All of our Center employees have received intensive training in recognizing the symptoms of Acute Coronary Symptoms (ACS) and have implemented a process to streamline our patient's path to care. The standardized procedures ensure that all patients presenting with a potential heart attack symptom undergo the same screening process, including an EKG within minutes of a patient's arrival.
Know the Symptoms
Chest Pain
Chest pain is a major symptom of heart attack. You may feel the pain in only one part of your body, or it may move from your chest to your arms, shoulder, neck, teeth, jaw, belly area, or back. The pain can be severe or mild. It can feel like:
- A tight band around the chest
- Bad indigestion
- Something heavy sitting on your chest
- Squeezing or heavy pressure
The pain usually lasts longer than 20 minutes. Rest and a medicine called nitroglycerin do not completely relieve the pain of a heart attack. Symptoms may also go away and come back.
Other Symptoms
Some people (the elderly, people with diabetes, and women) may have little or no chest pain. Or, they may experience unusual symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness). A "silent heart attack" is a heart attack with no symptoms.
Know/Get Answers
When being examined for chest pain, you may be asked the following questions:
- What are your symptoms?
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms gotten worse over time?
- Where does your pain seem to start?
- Does your pain radiate to any other parts of your body?
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View Additional Questions
If you haven't received the following information, you may also want to ask:
- What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
- Are there other possible causes for my symptoms or condition?
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- Do I need to be hospitalized?
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View Additional Questions
Tests
Tests used to diagnose a heart attack include:
Non-cardiac Causes
Fortunately, chest pain doesn't always signal a heart attack. Often chest pain is unrelated to any heart problem. But even if the chest pain you experience has nothing to do with your cardiovascular system, the problem may still be important - and worth the time spent in an emergency room for evaluation. Learn More About Noncardiac Causes of Chest Pain
Adventist HealthCare, an integrated, health-care delivery organization based in Rockville, MD, is a non-profit network of healthcare providers that includes hospitals, home health agencies, and other healthcare services. We invite you to explore Adventist HealthCare: