Emergency Department
What Happens in the Emergency Department?
Once
you are in the ambulance or at one of Inova's four Emergency
Departments, initial diagnostic tests are conducted to determine
the presence of a heart attack or other heart problems. These
include blood
tests and electrocardiograms.
Some heart attacks can be diagnosed immediately, and others
require blood tests and EKGs to confirm heart damage over
several hours. Therefore, you'll likely be held for observation
until at least 12 to 24 hours have passed, while serial blood
tests and electrocardiograms are analyzed to indicate a heart
attack. Once a heart attack is confirmed, every attempt to
salvage heart muscle and decrease the size of the injury will
be done (click here for more information about angioplasties
and bypass
surgery).
Everyone who has had a heart attack is immediately admitted to a specialized critical care unit where nurses are experts in caring for you. Some individuals are admitted to the hospital because a heart attack is not yet confirmed, or because further diagnostic testing are needed. At times, individuals are monitored and released from the emergency room to home, after a heart attack has been ruled out. It is important for them to obtain follow-up with their personal physician.
- Warning Signs
- Emergency Department
- Angina
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
- Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
- Other Causes of Chest Discomfort
- Heart Valves and Heart Valve Disease
- Heart Rhythm Disturbances
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Cardiomyopathy
- Heart Murmur
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Bacterial Endocarditis
