Cardiac Emergency

OSF Saint James emergency room physicians are prepared to handle chest pains and heart attacks. If you think you are experiencing a heart attack, go to the emergency room immediately. Every minute of delay increases the risk of permanent damage or death.

Know the warning signs of a heart attack:

• Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than two minutes or goes away and comes back
• Pain that spreads to the neck or either shoulder or arm
• Chest pain accompanied by lightheadedness, weakness or fainting
• Chest pain accompanied by sweating, nausea or shortness of breath

OSF Saint James - John W. Albrecht Medical Center offers the latest in noninvasive cardiac diagnostic techniques, such as 64 Slice CT scanner, EKG and nuclear medicine. Emergency room physicians can administer clot-dissolving drugs to break up blockages that can cause an attack, and our intensive care unit allows us to monitor chest pain and heart attack patients

Should you need more specialized services such as angioplasty, cardiac catheterization, bypass surgery and transplantation, we can facilitate transportation to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria or OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington. After receiving these advanced services, you can return to OSF Saint James - John W. Albrecht Medical Center for phases II and III cardiac rehabilitation and outpatient services.