Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, and now’s the time to improve your heart health to live a longer life.

One in every three female deaths in America is due to cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

Some attacks can be sudden.  Often people aren’t sure what’s wrong and therefore wait too long to get help.

Here are some of the warning signs of a heart attack:

• Chest discomfort: Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.   
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body: Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. 
• Shortness of breath: with or without chest discomfort.  
• Other signs: breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.    

Knowing the signs is important.  But even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, call 911 immediately.

Central Florida Regional Hospital is proud to have shorter ER weight times with a certified chest pain center and an award-winning Heart Institute with the most modern cardiac technology.   We offer the only full-service cardiac program in Seminole and West Volusia counties, including open heart surgery, catheterization, electrophysiology and cardiac rehabilitation. 

We’re planning several free Heart Month events in February including:

• Dinner With A Doctor: Wednesday, Feb. 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m.  Jorge O. Diaz, M.D., Electrophysiologist, will discuss treatment options for Atrial Fibrillation.  A healthy dinner will be served.  Call 1-800-445-3392 for reservations.
• Heart Healthy High Tea: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 3:30-4:30 p.m.  Jacob Agamasu, M.D., Cardiologist, will discuss the latest advances in heart treatment as well as how to keep your heart healthy.
• The Iron Heart Cooking Contest: Wednesday, Feb. 17, 6:30-8 p.m.  Watch our cardiologists create a meal with secret heart healthy ingredients and find out who is the better chef.  A heart healthy dinner will be served.
• Cardiac Screening: Saturday, Feb. 27, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides, glucose and blood pressure.  Call 1-800-445-3392 for an appointment.

We’re less than three weeks away from Wear Red Day, the American Heart Association’s movement to raise awareness in the fight against heart disease.

On Friday, Feb. 5 we hope you’ll join the women— and men— who are wearing red to work in an effort to save lives.

And don’t stop with just what you wear.  If your workplace hasn’t planned an event, it’s not too late for you to start spreading the word.  You can log onto www.goredforwomen.org for a free, downloadable toolkit which includes a how-to guide, posters and more.

Plus, you’ll want to check out the official Go Red For Women Facebook fan page where more than 70,000 women are already talking about ways to fight this silent killer.

For more information about Central Florida Regional’s Heart Institute, log onto our website at www.centralfloridaregional.com.  And don’t forget to Go Red on Feb. 5.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States.  Time is critical for a heart attack patient, and the highest quality care can increase the chance of survival with fewer complications.

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is interrupted. This deprives the heart muscle of oxygen, causing tissue damage or tissue death.

Central Florida Regional Hospital is the only hospital in Seminole and West Volusia Counties that offers award-winning complete cardiovascular services— from diagnostic testing to open-heart surgery to rehabilitation.

The Heart Institute has a dedicated staff, including cardiovascular surgeons who have performed more open-heart procedures than any group in Central Florida, along with the most modern cardiac technology. 

On November 16, Central Florida Regional Hospital was recognized for its success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients when we received the American College of Cardiology Foundation’s NCDR ACTION Registry-GTWG Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2009.

Connie Shaw, RN, Director of The Heart Institute, and Jean Opsut, RN, Quality Management Director, at Central Florida Regional Hospital accept the Action Registry – GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association.

Central Florida Regional Hospital is one of only 121 hospitals nationwide to receive the award, having reached an aggressive goal of treating coronary artery disease patients with 85 percent compliance to core standard levels of care outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

The award recognizes Central Florida Regional consistently followed national treatment guidelines for 24 consecutive months, including the aggressive use of medications like cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin and anticoagulants in the hospital—all critical steps in saving the lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients.

“We are very proud to receive this recognition for our cardiac program,” said Central Florida Regional Hospital CEO Wendy Brandon. “Our physicians and staff are continually focused on delivering the highest quality cardiovascular care to our patients.” 

For more information about Central Florida Regional Hospital’s Heart Institute, visit our website at www.CentralFloridaRegional.com or call (407) 302-7363.