Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes: Lifesaving Advice You Need Now

More than three out of five deaths from heart attack occur simply because people don't immediately go to the hospital, waiting instead to see if symptoms persist. Many of these deaths could be prevented if people knew the early warning signs of heart attack and realized the critical importance of responding immediately.Now a pioneer of modern cardiology draws on fifty years of patient care to explain that the majority of heart attacks don't just happen spontaneously but are preceded by early warning signs - including little-known signs that go unrecognized by most people. Based on Missouri's Early Warning Signs of Heart Attack Public and Professional Education Program - the only such effort to successfully speed patient arrivals at emergency rooms for treatment - ""Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes"" offers practical advice that can save lives when time is of the essence.Dr. Glenn Turner's message is simple: learn all of the early warning signs, and if you're experiencing any of them, go to the emergency room immediately. If people would get proper treatment within the first sixty minutes of symptoms (""the Golden Hour""), he affirms, they should suffer little or no damage to heart muscle.Written clearly for lay readers of all levels, ""Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes"" provides vital information from the Missouri Heart Program to readers nationwide and also presents the early warning signs of stroke and instructions on how to respond. Dr. Turner teaches readers not only to recognize symptoms but also about the best treatments available - including an analysis of the effectiveness of thrombolysis and angioplasty for heart attacks. He also reveals what people can do to help prevent the occurrence or recurrence of heart attack and stroke, and he stresses preventative care, urging readers to know more about the tests that can provide their doctors with important clues to their health.Despite the success of the Missouri Heart Program, there has never been a national public education program about the early warning signs of heart attack and stroke. ""Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes"" addresses that need - and, if heeded, is a book that can save lives as it points the way toward better heart health overall.

About the Author :
Dr. Glenn O. Turner is a Fellow of the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association and author of The Cardiovascular Care Unit: A Guide for Planning and Operation.

Review :
"Anyone interested in understanding the signs and symptoms of heart disease as well as those wanting to know what they can do to avoid it will find this book not only interesting but also inspiring. Dr. Turner should be commended for passing on a half-century of clinical acumen." -Thomas N. Levin, M.D., Director, Coronary Care Unit, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Illinois "The last thirty years have witnessed a therapeutic revolution in the management of acute myocardial infarction, which affects almost one million Americans per year. The ability to dissolve clots in the coronary arteries either with drugs or mechanically using transcatheter techniques has provided us with the ability to interrupt what was considered an inevitable process leading to irreversible loss of heart muscle. Many of the medical questions have been answered, and at the start of the twenty-first century it is not so much 'the nature of the treatment but the efficacy of its delivery' which determines outcome. The concept of 'time is muscle' holds true today, and time to treatment is a crucial determinant of success, which often means a return to a completely normal life. The major course of treatment delays is patient-related. The more the patient understands the early warning signs of heart attack and how to respond to these and what treatments are available, the greater will be the beneficial impact of treatment on the community as a whole. Doctor Turner is a pioneer in the field, and this important book reflects his passion and commitment to the field, a commitment that spans almost fifty years of public education, innovation, and implementation, in his native Missouri, nationally and internationally. The information he provides is vital but also should be considered as a source of encouragement since all of it points in a positive direction. The care of this deadly disease involves a partnership among physicians, all healthcare providers, and the patient. This book makes an important contribution to the field."--Bernard J. Gersh, M.B.Ch.B., D.Phil., Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota "The American public needs to be fully cognizant that receiving lifesaving treatment depends on one's recognizing and responding quickly to the early warning signs. . . . Dr. Turner's message is a truly lifesaving one."--Hugh E. Stephenson, Jr., M.D., Growdon Distinguished Professor of Surgery Emeritus, University of Missouri-Columbia