Chest Pain Center

Heart Attack Care

Accredited as a Chest Pain Center by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute - The Woodlands is a known leader in heart attack care. The Institute consistently meets the goal of 100% compliance with evidence-based standards for door-to-balloon times which is the time it takes to open a blocked artery with angioplasty. Angioplasty involves inflating a tiny balloon at the point of blockage in an artery. This is significant because every minute the artery is blocked, more heart muscle dies. The Institute has been recognized for exceptional performance in meeting the 90-minute door-to-balloon standards.

Accredited Chest Pain Center

A difference of minutes can dictate a chest pain patient's outcome. Knowing where to go for the gold standard of emergency cardiac care saves lives. Speed, teamwork and skill can make a significant difference in an Emergency Center setting. Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center is a Chest Pain Joint Commission Certified Center. Working in close collaboration with Emergency Medical Services (EMS), emergency medicine physicians, cardiologists and critical care nurses, the Center's goal is to shorten the time from a patient's initial cardiac symptoms to treatment. Certified Chest Pain Centers have been found to reduce the mortality rates of patients suffering from chest pain through a very specific, protocol-driven and systematic approach which allow physicians to:

• Treat patients more quickly during the critical early stages of heart attack, when treatments are most effective
• Better monitor patients when it’s not clear whether they are having a coronary event, which ensures patients are not sent home too early or needlessly admitted

What's Your Heart Emergency Plan?

• Call 911 immediately if you have chest discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath, nausea or lightheadedness.
• If your primary care provider refers you to make a cardiologist appointment, call (713) 222-CARE (2273) to find a board-certified interventional cardiologist affiliated with Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center.