Chest pains should not be taken lightly. The best place to go when experiencing heart attack symptoms is Meritus Medical Center’s emergency department. Within minutes of your arrival, technicians administer an EKG. If the results indicate a heart attack, you are fast-tracked to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab for a primary angioplasty.

If you are not having a heart attack, you are moved to an extension of the emergency department called the observation unit. Patients stay in a private room equipped with a television and phone for up to twenty-three hours of constant observation. Emergency room physicians and nurses monitor your vital signs and may request lab work, a stress test, or an additional EKG.