Emergency Care

Emergency medicine for heart attack

If you are experiencing heart attack symptoms, including chest pain, shortness of breath or pain in your arms, neck, jaw or back – call 911.

Lehigh Valley Heart Institute consistently ranks among the nation’s leaders in heart attack survival. Our MI Alert for Heart Attacks program saves lives and limits the amount of heart damage by educating area paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to diagnose heart attacks in the field.

If you’re suffering from a heart attack, paramedics will immediately begin treatment and call ahead to alert our emergency medicine providers of your arrival. 

Heart attack-related services at LVHN include:

• Angioplasty to open blocked arteries within 90 minutes
• Cardiac bypass surgery to open blockages that cannot be fixed with angioplasty
• Therapeutic hypothermia after the heart stops to lower the body’s core temperature – this slows metabolism and prevents swelling that can cause brain damage
• Transfers of heart attack patients to LVHN hospitals where they receive treatment within 90 minutes or less

Emergency care for stroke

Every second counts when it comes to stroke. Fast, aggressive care minimizes brain damage by ensuring adequate blood flow to the brain. That’s why you should always remember BE FAST. This acronym will help you remember the signs of a stroke and that you should act quickly.

• Balance – Sudden loss of balance
• Eyes – Blurred vision in one or both eyes
• Face – Face drooping or looks uneven
• Arms – One arm becomes weak or numb
• Speech – Slurred speech or seems confused
• Time – If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, call 911 immediately.

Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest is designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, a designation awarded by the American Heart Association and The Joint Commission. Comprehensive Stroke Center certification means a hospital is ready 24/7 to deliver advanced stroke care. It is the highest level of stroke certification earned by meeting rigorous standards for the most complex cases of stroke.

LVH–Hazleton, LVH–Pocono, LVH–Schuylkill and LVH–Muhlenberg are certified as Primary Stroke Centers.

At all centers, patients will be rapidly diagnosed and treated, which dramatically improves the likelihood of recovery. 

Stroke-Alert Program at all of our hospitals ensures stroke patients are:

• Assessed quickly
• Given a CT scan within 20 minutes or less
• Treated appropriately or transferred to a facility that can provide a higher level of care

Emergency care: Trauma services

Lehigh Valley Hospital provides trauma services to adults and children in four trauma centers LVH–Cedar Crest, LVH–Muhlenberg, LVH–Hazleton and LVH–Pocono. Our accredited trauma centers are prepared to stabilize and treat individuals with life-threatening or disabling injuries. All sites also provide initial care for burn injuries, but burn injuries that require extensive care will be managed at the Regional Burn Center at LVH–Cedar Crest.

Visiting an LVHN emergency department

When checking in to one of LVHN’s emergency departments, you will be greeted by a staff member. After being triaged by a registered nurse, you may be asked to return to the emergency room (ER) waiting area until a treatment space is available. Once you are assigned an available treatment space, a specially trained ER nurse will complete a thorough exam and relay findings to your ER team. If needed, your team may order other tests before developing a plan of care and providing treatment.

Depending on the findings, you may be given a referral for a specialist visit at another time or admitted to the hospital if your needs are more urgent.

MedEvac transportation crews deliver care in emergencies

If you or a loved one needs critical care transportation, LVHN–MedEvac delivers it on land and in the air, 24/7. Staffed by LVHN clinicians with training in critical care medicine as well as prehospital medicine, the team is qualified to deliver medications and perform procedures beyond what emergency medical service (EMS) crews typically provide.

Minor illnesses and injuries

If you have a minor illness or injury, consider ExpressCARE for treatment. ExpressCARE offers video visits through the MyLVHN app, and in-person walk-in care. You can find a list of ExpressCARE locations open for care here.

For those times when your child has an unexpected minor illness or injury, Children’s ExpressCARE offers video visits for children ages 3 through 17. To schedule, simply log on to MyLVHN, click on the “Video Visit” icon and answer a few questions. 

ExpressCARE’s team of medical professionals will deliver treatment for:

Injuries:

• Minor cuts and wounds
• Sprains and strains

Illnesses:

• Allergies
• Bronchitis
• Cough, cold and sore throat
• Fever, flu or flu shot
• Nausea
• Sinus pain and congestion

Other conditions:

• Acute back pain
• Bronchitis
• Ear pain
• Eye swelling or irritation
• Headache
• Rashes