Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg

With a state-of-the art ER, full hospital and access to needed specialists, your emergency care is close to home.

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 and Vascular 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.

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.

As a Certified Primary Stroke Center, we offer rapid diagnosis of the type of stroke, targeted therapies – such as clot busting medication (intravenous thrombolytic) or interventional clot retrieval. We have been recognized by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Rapid Assessment Unit

LVH–Muhlenberg offers the region’s only Rapid Assessment Unit, where a patient with a medical emergency is visited simultaneously by a physician, nurse and registrar to evaluate his or her condition and proceed with treatment promptly. Approximately 80 percent are seen within 30 minutes and most are seen immediately.