Hands-Only CPRTwo Steps to Save a Life

  1. Call 911 right away.
     
  2. Repeatedly, push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives. (Hands-only CPR)

A heart attack can strike at any time; knowing the symptoms and seeking the help you need is critical to surviving. Not all of the symptoms of a heart attack may occur. In fact, many heart attacks start slowly. A person experiencing a heart attack may be unsure or doubt that it is really happening.

Heart Attack Symptoms

The majority of damage that can occur as a result of a heart attack strikes within the first two hours, so understanding the symptoms and calling 911 right away are important. Here is a list of possible symptoms.

  • Anxiety
  • Arm pain that travels down one or both arms
  • Back pain
  • Chest pressure, squeezing or discomfort
  • Fatigue
  • Feeling of fullness in your stomach
  • Jaw pain
  • Nausea
  • Shortness of breath

Heart Attacks Symptoms in Women

It’s important to note that heart attack symptoms vary among individuals and can affect each person differently. For example, women may experience a heart attack without having any chest pain. Women may instead experience the following symptoms, which are associated with a heart attack:

  • Anxiety
  • Indigestion
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Unusual fatigue

Act Fast in an Emergency

If you think you or a loved one is having a heart attack call 9-1-1 immediately. Do not drive yourself. Ambulances are specially equipped to provide treatment for a heart attack.

Froedtert Hospital attained Primary Heart Attack Center certification by The Joint Commission. Froedtert West Bend Hospital and Froedtert Menomonee Falls have attained Acute Heart Attack Ready Certification by The Joint Commission. This means that each of these locations has demonstrated a commitment to a high standard of service and seeks to maintain The Joint Commission’s high standards in providing cardiac care. We are the first in Wisconsin to have a Joint Commission-certified heart attack program.

 

Our Cardiovascular Program continues to receive recognition as one of the top programs nationally. We are honored to provide high-quality, effective care for even the most high-risk patients.

  • In its 2024 Specialty Excellence Awards, Healthgrades recognized Froedtert Hospital as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery, one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care and one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention, as well as other specialty achievements in various areas.

    For the second year in a row, Froedtert Hospital was identified as one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ according to an independent quality analysis based on a balanced scorecard provided by PINC AI™, and reported by Fortune. The hospitals recognized in the top 50 operated at lower cost and had better outcomes, recording significantly higher inpatient survival rates, fewer patients with complications, lower readmission rates and up to nearly $10,000 less in total costs per patient case. According to the study’s analysis, if all hospitals operated at the level of this year’s top performers, there could be 7,600 fewer deaths due to heart disease, 6,700 fewer bypass and angioplasty patients who suffer complications, and more than $1 billion in costs saved for the 2024 study year. Froedtert Hospital was ranked in the category of top teaching hospitals with a cardiovascular residency program. In this cohort of hospitals, Froedtert Hospital was ranked No. 4 in the country. No other hospital in Wisconsin was recognized with this national distinction.

    Froedtert Hospital is honored to be recognized on the Becker’s Hospital Review 2024 list of 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Heart Programs. Hospitals featured on this list are renowned for delivering superior heart and vascular care that results in high-quality outcomes. As part of a health network that includes eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center, our heart and vascular specialists treat a high volume of patients with a wide variety of heart diseases.

    The Society for Vascular Surgery's Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) has awarded Froedtert Hospital three out of three stars for its active participation in the Registry Participation Program. The mission of the SVS VQI is to improve patient safety and the quality of vascular care delivery by providing web-based collection, aggregation and analysis of clinical data submitted in registry format for all patients undergoing specific vascular treatments. The VQI operates 14 vascular registries.

    The American Heart Association recognized Froedtert Hospital with its Get With the Guidelines® Heart Failure Gold Plus Award. In addition, the hospital was recognized on the AHA’s Target: Heart Failure(SM) Honor Roll and received the AHA’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™ award. 

    The American Heart Association also recognized Froedtert Hospital with its Get With the Guidelines® — Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Gold Plus with Target: Type 2 Diabetes and Get With the Guidelines® — Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI Gold with Target: Type 2 Diabetes awards. These awards demonstrate our commitment to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for heart attacks.

    The American Heart Association recognized Froedtert Hospital with its Get With the Guidelines® AFib Gold Award.