Quickly Seek Care in a Medical Emergency

1/17/2022

Laredo Medical Center is urging the local community to seek emergency care when needed – without delay. If you experience a medical emergency such as chest pain that may be a heart attack or stroke symptom, getting care timely will support the best possible outcome. As the hospital responds to COVID-19, it is taking extra precautions, going above and beyond all normal efforts, to keep the hospital clean and safe for patients and caregivers.

The recent campaign by the American Heart Association (AHA) – Be Certain In Uncertain Times – reinforces the critical need to secure treatment as soon as possible. The AHA is working to remind everyone that heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrests don’t stop for COVID-19.

Heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest symptoms are always urgent so call 911 without hesitation. Emergency workers know what to do to protect and care for you.

“If you know you have heart disease, and you develop chest pain or shortness of breath, it is very important to come to the hospital immediately,” said Dr. Luis Pellicia, medicaldirector of emergency medicine at Laredo Medical Center. “There is nothing that COVID-19 has done to reduce the number of strokes or heart attacks from happening.”

Safety remains Laredo Medical Center’s highest priority and it has taken action to enhance infection prevention, limit access to the facility and support face masking and social distancing to maintain a safe environment for patients who need medical care.

“We require everyone who comes into the hospital to use a face mask, check their temperature and wash their hands often with soap and water. We also have rearranged our environments to enable social distancing, require testing of all patients for COVID-19 who are coming to the hospital for surgery or other scheduled procedures, and we have dedicated nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in an area that is separate and isolated from other patients,” said Jorge Leal, FACHE, CEO of Laredo Medical Center.

“Furthermore, our cleaning staff is disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and doing a terrific job of keeping the hospital clean and sterile. We also have instituted enhanced infection prevention protocols, including robotic UV sterilization to eliminate viruses and bacteria and our hospital has led a major effort to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to all employees and medical staff,” Leal added.

Getting fast medical treatment could be the difference between life and death – so Laredo Medical Center officials ask everyone to pay attention to the signs of a health emergency and act quickly. Call 911, come to the hospital, and get the help you need.

Know the Signs and Symptoms

Heart Attack

• Chest discomfort.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.
• Shortness of breath.
• Other possible signs include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Signs for women

• Women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain. Some women are more likely to experience shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Remember to act F.A.S.T. for Stroke

• Face drooping; Does one side of the face droop or is it numb?
• Arm weakness; Is one arm weak or numb?
• Speech difficulty; Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand?
• Time to call 911; If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately.

Cardiac Arrest

• Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly.
• Within seconds, a person becomes unresponsive, is not breathing or is only gasping.
• Survival depends on getting immediate CPR.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

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