Heart Smart

Heart attack and stroke are life-and-death emergencies—every second
counts. If you see or have symptoms, don’t wait longer than 5 minutes
before calling 9-1-1.

About 325,000 people a year die of coronary heart disease in an emergency department or before reaching a hospital.
Brain damage can start to occur in just 4-5 minutes after the heart stops pumping blood.
Death may be prevented if the victim receives immediate bystander CPR and defibrillation within a few minutes.
With no bystander CPR, a victim’s chances of survival are reduced by 7-10 percent.
With immediate CPR and a first shock within 3-5 minutes, the reported survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is as high as 48-74 percent.
If survival rates increased from 5-20 percent, about 40,000 more lives could be saved each year.

This year about 1.2 million Americans will have a first or recurrent coronary attack.
About 452,000 will die.
Coronary heart disease is the nation’s single leading cause of death.

EMS personnel can begin treatment en route.
If your heart stops, EMS personnel have the equipment to restart it. Heart attack patients arriving by Ambulance tend to receive faster treatment.

15,276 ambulance services in US
48,384 ground ambulance vehicles
840,669 EMS personnel
Over 2/3’s of the nation’s largest 200 cities are served by non-fire-based ambulance services.
EMTs are trained to deliver basic life support services and provide first aid, oxygen, splint and bandage application and CPR.
Paramedics are trained to deliver advanced life support services and provide intravenous therapy, airway management, cardiac monitoring and defibrillation, medications and other advanced care.