Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications  and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.

This week on Health Watch, we've been talking about health issues that affect men. Men have a bad reputation for being reluctant to ask for help or ask for directions. When it comes to a heart attack, that reluctance could be deadly.

Dr. James Atkins, a cardiologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says your survival depends on how fast you recognize the symptoms and get treatment. This isn't a good time to tough it out. It's also not a time to try to do things for yourself and drive yourself to the hospital or find someone else to drive you. Call 911 when you notice heart attack symptoms so emergency personnel can get to you. People who go to the hospital in an ambulance are more likely to survive a heart attack because medics can begin treating you as soon as they reach you. You're most likely to survive a heart attack if you get treatment within 70 minutes of the beginning of symptoms.

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^June 2006

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