Methodist Healthcare | San Antonio | Keeping Well | Winter 2014

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M E T H O D I S T H E A L T H C A R E — S A N A N T O N I O ● W I N T E R 2 0 1 4
John Doe,* 65, was at home when he suddenly began
experiencing chest pains. Though he did not have a history of
heart disease, he knew that unexplained chest pain can be
serious and life threatening. His wife called emergency medi-
cal services (EMS), and a trip to the Emergency Room (ER) at
Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, a campus of Methodist Hospital,
saved his life. ✦ The EMS professionals were able to relay
WHEN THE WORST
HAPPENS
Our emergency room is here to help
electrocardiogram information to the hos-
pital while en route. When Doe arrived,
ER staff, along with physicians and staff
from the cardiovascular department, were
able to treat him in just 7 minutes. This
is 53 minutes under the hospital’s goal of
60 minutes or less door-to-balloon (D2B)
time. The national D2B average is 64.5 min-
utes, according to the American College of
Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data
Registry.**
MAXIMUM ER CARE, MINIMAL WAITING
When you or a loved one is faced with a
medical emergency, you want to go where
you’ll receive the highest level of care. The
ER at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital
is just one of the outstanding full-service
Methodist Healthcare ERs close to you and
your family.
It can be frightening when a sudden
illness strikes or an unexpected injury
occurs, especially if your regular doctor
is unavailable. If your condition is severe
and you need care immediately, turn to
Methodist Healthcare. Our ERs are staffed
with emergency-trained physicians, reg-
istered nurses and others who are there
for you 24/7. They are equipped to assess
your situation in just minutes.
URGENT OR EMERGENCY? It is im-
portant to understand that urgent care
is not emergency care. Urgent care
centers usually can handle a variety of
conditions that need to be treated right
away, but they are not equipped to deal
with major medical traumas or poten-
tially life-threatening situations. Ur-
gent care also may be an option when
your regular doctor is not available and
treatment is needed outside of office hours.
Some of the symptoms that indicate
that an ER visit is needed include:
● ● Chest pain.
● ● Stomach pain.
● ● Severe pain in other areas.
● ● Dehydration.
● ● Sprains and broken bones.
● ● Shortness of breath.
● ● Open wounds.
● ● Deep cuts.
● ● Severe bruising.
● ● Dizziness and fainting.
● ● Bleeding that won’t stop.
● ● Sudden and severe headache, loss of
vision, coughing, nausea and fatigue.
● ● Loss of consciousness.
● ● Weakness or paralysis.
● ● Infection.
● ● Burns.
EASY ACCESS FOR THE COMMUNITY
We are making it easier for the commu-
nity to locate our ERs and making it more
convenient for people to manage their ex-
pectations by offering wait times for most
of our ERs. You can find our wait times
in just two easy steps. Just text MHS-ER
to 23000. You will receive a message to
text back your ZIP code. Based on your
ZIP code, you will receive a message giv-
ing you the average ER wait times for the
closest Methodist Healthcare hospitals.
WAIT TIME AT YOUR FINGERTIPS You
can also find the Emergency Room wait
times at . And
you can save a shortcut to the wait times
page on your iPhone or iPad’s home page
by taking these steps:
● ● Go to using
your iPhone or iPad’s Internet browser
app.
● ● Click the “Send” button at the bottom
of the browser window.
● ● Click “Add to Home Screen.”
● ● Click “Add” at the top of the browser
window.
And you’re done! The shortcut will
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