When to seek help

If any of the symptoms of a heart attack occur to you or your family member, it is of most importance that you call 911 within five minutes.  Calling 911 should always be the first option before driving yourself or your loved one to the hospital.  The 911 operator has the ability to inform the emergency response team of a Chest Pain or Heart Attack call, which is priority over many other situations.  This ensures that the ambulance and fire truck get sent to you first. The Emergency Medical Teams are specifically-trained to recognize and treat patients who are experiencing a heart attack, and you can be receiving treatment while en route to Hendrick rather than delaying it by driving yourself.  The Emergency Medical Service in Abilene, as well as Abilene Fire Department, has the ability to transmit an ECG to Hendrick before the patient arrives.  This allows Hendrick to activate the necessary measures to provide all of our heart attack patients with prompt treatment and to spare damaging heart muscle.