Heart attack patients confirm the truth of this statement for their doctors every day. As we make rounds in the cardiac care unit (CCU), they tell us what only they can know about their heart attacks: how it began, how it felt and what they did about it. By listening, we have learned about the critical early signs of heart attacks and how to respond to them to save lives.

The lessons learned from patients in the CCU are:
1.	Heart attacks give early warning signs.
2.	People don't recognize these signs as symptoms of a heart attack, so they don't take them seriously.
3.	The people who benefit most from treatment are the ones who react quickly to the early signs of heart attack.
4.	Hospitals that have a systematic approach to early heart attack care hold the key to survival.

The EHAC Message Help make "EHAC" a household word by placing this message on refrigerator doors and bulletin boards. Know the early warning signs of heart attack. They occur as chest discomfort that: - doesn't feel like "pain" - comes and goes as your activity increases or decreases - starts out mild and gets stronger Educate others about these symptoms Don't ignore these symptoms if they happen to you or to someone else. Get help right away at a Chest Pain Center or hospital emergency room.