SIGNS OF HEART ATTACK Call 911 for any of these possible heart attack symptoms: • Pain or discomfort (pressure, squeezing, fullness) anywhere in the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. • Upper body pain or discomfort (in one or both arms or shoulders, back, neck, jaw, or stomach). • Shortness of breath. • Nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, weakness, unusual tiredness, cold sweat. Sources: American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cardiovascular life support, and pediatric advanced life support, among other lifesaving techniques. Yates is responsible for making sure EMS workers at CCH and Simpson General Hospital in Mendenhall stay current on all required courses and certifications. She monitors their performance to make sure it meets CCH’s high standards. She and fellow CCH paramedic Josh Blackwell teach advanced stroke life support. That starts with recognizing stroke symptoms through a test known by the acronym BE FAST. FAST (a stroke test often recommended for the general public) involves checking for face drooping, arm weakness, and speech difficulty, plus noting the time of first symptoms. Balance and Eyes To that, the paramedics add BE – checking balance and eyes (for blurriness, double vision, or vision loss). Yates said the community can feel confident about CCH paramedics’ response to a possible stroke: “They have been trained to know what a stroke looks like. They have been trained to recognize it promptly, and they know how to handle it and activate treatment early so they can get the patient to definitive care.” 2024 Fall/Winter 18
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQxNg==