Ottawa, October 31, 2002 - Lying on a stretcher in a crowded emergency room, a patient grasps his chest, gasps for air and then loses consciousness. He is having a heart attack! An ER doctor squeezes some lubricant onto the defibrillator pads, rubs them together, shouts "Clear!" administers the shock, and the heart monitor miraculously comes back to life. Another patient saved!

According to Marc Gay, spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the reality can be quite different and few, if any, heart attacks follow this Hollywood script. "Most Canadians don't know how to recognize the real-life version of a heart attack, and that's a recipe for death," says Gay, an emergency technician and Chair of the Foundation's Emergency Cardiac Care Subcommittee. Gay adds that as many as 80 per cent of heart attacks occur outside of hospital.

People often panic when someone near them collapses, and waste precious time wondering what to do. "Every second counts when you're in a life and death situation," he says. "It is crucial that everyone learn to recognize the signals of heart attack and signs of stroke, and that they remember to Phone First - call for help before you do anything else."

Signs of a heart attack may come and go and include one or more of:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Pain in arm, neck, jaw or back
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Fear, anxiety, denial

Signs of a stroke may be temporary, may occur suddenly, and will include one or more of:

• Weakness, numbness
• Trouble speaking
• Vision problems
• Severe headache
• Dizziness, loss of balance

Only after a call has been placed to 911 or local emergency services should a trained person begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. Every year 1.6 million Canadians take CPR training.

"CPR alone revives fewer than five per cent of victims," says Mr. Gay. "But it's still a critical step because it ensures an adequate supply of oxygen and prevents brain damage until emergency personnel arrive with a defibrillator."

During CPR Awareness Month in November, the Heart and Stroke Foundation urges all Canadians to learn to recognize the signals of a heart attack and signs of stroke, and to "Phone First".
Information on CPR courses across Canada can be obtained by calling the Heart and Stroke Foundation
at 1-888-HSF-INFO. (1-888-473-4636)

For more information contact Heather Rourke
(613) 569-4361, ext 318
or Bojan Fuerst, (506) 634-2054

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Visit www.heartandstroke.ca