The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 19, 2010 · 4 FLOOR $AVE % MODELS MATTRESS SALE UP TO ON ALL SALE EN S SUN MARD21 . 5 PM QUEEN MATTRESSES FROM 50 Chest pains? Call 911 By Tim Foran OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF $ 189 SET 299 5 Year Warranty Leave the car at home and take the better way ­ an ambulance. That's the message to local residents from the doctor overseeing Halton's paramedics division. An estimated 50 per cent of people experiencing chest pain or other symptoms of a myocardial infraction, also known as a heart attack, continue to be driven to hospital by friends or family, Dr. Sheldon Cheskes, medical director for Halton and Peel region for the Sunnybrook-Osler Centre for PreHospital Care, told Halton's health committee recently. Treatment is faster by calling 911 and waiting for paramedics to arrive to start diagnosis and treatment, said Cheskes. "That's the mindset that really has to move down to the citizens," he told the committee. Part of the problem might be confusion amongst the public who, perhaps, associate a heart attack with cardiac arrest. "When a person stops breathing and the heart stops beating, then a person is experiencing cardiac arrest," explains the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario's website. "It is not a heart attack, which occurs when the blood supply to the heart is slowed or stopped because of a blockage." "Some heart attacks are sudden and intense -- the `movie heart attack,' where no one doubts what's happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help," the American Heart Association states on its website. The AHA points out paramedics can start treatment up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. After receiving dispatch, Halton's ambulance division was one of the fastest in the province to arrive at the emergency scene, according to 2007 statistics. "Paramedics are trained to treat (heart attack) patients with a variety of medications including oxygen, ASA (acetylsalicylic acid), nitroglycerine and morphine," states Greg Sage, acting director of land ambulance services for Halton Region, in a report to the health committee. Paramedics are also trained to obtain a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), a diagnostic tool for cardiac-related conditions. Since December 15, 2008, Halton's advanced care paramedics have had the authority to interpret the ECG without a doctor's assistance and transport patients in Oakville, Milton and Georgetown who are suffering from a ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI, directly to the regional See More Page 5 10 Year Warranty ITEMS Futon Covers Twin Padded H/B Twin Wood Bed Double Iron Bed Double Wood Bed Queen Iron Bed Queen Wood Bed Iron Futon Bunk Wood Bunk Bed White Gloss Day Bed Iron Futon Sofa Bed Complete 79 139 209 279 289 319 349 419 419 209 199 449 Renovate · Decorate · Celebrate Wood Twin/Double Bunk 599 39 69 109 129 129 149 219 269 269 399 129 129 239 7 3 4 5 3 4 3 3 4 3 5 5 3 4 Time is Precious, Mistakes are Costly and Decorating is complicated. Hospital/Adjustable Bed with Memory Foam Mattress 1419 849 See Our 4 Page Flyer at www.sleepfactory.com MIL TON WOODBRIDGE 238 Main Unit#13 6221 Hwy. 7,St. E. MISSISSAUGA MISSISSAUGA/ETOBICOKE 6435 Erin Mills Pkwy. 2200 Dundas Street East Inquire about your Personal Design Consultation At Fitz by Design we are committed to creating breathtaking, functional spaces that are unique as the individuals living in them. 905-264-3551 905-878-4606 905-453-9760 905-453-9760 Behind Shoppers Drugmart Beer Store Behind Shoppers Drugmart & Beer Store (at East ofSt.) Next to Scotiabank Martin 427 next to Esso BRAMPTON BRAMPTON 160 Main Street 160 Main Street MISSISSAUGA/ETOBICOKE MISSISSAUGA 2200 Dundas Street East 6435 Erin Mills Parkway 905-542-0481 905-270-4112 In the Moore's Suit People Next toBattleford Centre Next to Moore's SuitCentre in the Battleford People 905-542-0481 905-270-4112