Survive, don’t drive

Think it might be a heart attack?

If you think you’re having heart attack symptoms, don’t reach for the keys, reach for the phone instead. “We want people to call 9-1-1 and get emergency treatment immediately,” said Loraine Cusumano, director of Cardiovascular Services at McLaren Macomb in Mount Clemens.

“The EMS experts will come to you with the most advanced equipment to start treatment immediately if you are having a heart attack.”

EMS units in Macomb County are equipped with technology to perform electrocardiography (ECG) testing in the ambulance units, she said. These readings are transmitted directly to the hospital’s emergency department and the Mat Gaberty Heart Center.

“Emergency techs do the ECG in the ambulance and transmit everything to us. Then we alert the cardiac catheterization lab and get everything going before the patient even arrives,” Loraine Cusumano said.

In most cases, the hospital’s cardiology team is alerted and waiting for the patient to arrive.

“Usually, patients can bypass the emergency room and go directly to the cardiac cath lab,” she said. 

Driving while having heart attack symptoms is never a good idea, experts advise.
It can dramatically delay lifesaving treatment, plus it can endanger other drivers on the road, especially if a heart attack victim passes out while driving.

Loraine Cusumano
Director of Cardiovascular Services
McLaren Macomb

“Even if you think your symptoms are not that bad, don’t wait,” Cusumano said. “It’s much better to let the experts decide. It could keep you from having a massive heart attack.”

The Mat Gaberty Heart Center is a fully accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. This national accreditation indicates that the Heart Center has met the highest standards for assessing, diagnosing and treating patients quickly.
Saving time means the patient gets treatment right away to open up a blocked artery and prevent permanent damage to the heart, she said.

The slogan, “Survive, don’t drive” is part of a new push by national heart organizations, including the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. It was created after many hospitals reported that more than half of their heart attack patients drove with someone, or drove themselves to the hospital during a possible heart attack event.

The center also holds national accreditation for managing Heart Failure and for its echocardiography capabilities. These accreditations mean the hospital maintains the highest standards of cardiac treatment.

For more information on cardiac programs at McLaren Macomb, please visit www.mclaren.org/macombheart.