Chest Pain Center Accreditation

Expect top-quality care if you come to a UNC Health Johnston emergency department with heart attack symptoms. Both our Clayton and Smithfield hospitals have received chest pain center accreditation from ACC Accreditation Services. That means you can count on an expert team to provide the right care at the right time.

Diagnosing Your Condition

When you arrive at the hospital with heart attack symptoms, you’ll soon receive an electrocardiogram (EKG) and lab tests to diagnose your condition. It takes an average of just 3 minutes from arrival to EKG at UNC Health Johnston. That’s twice as fast as the state and national average, and it means you get a diagnosis as soon as possible.

Timely Heart Attack Response

If test results show you’re having a heart attack, you may receive treatment at our Cardiac Cath Lab in Smithfield or another facility for emergency intervention, depending on your physician’s assessment. Emergency treatment, called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), stops a heart attack by opening blocked arteries and restoring full blood flow to the heart.

Care for Other Conditions

If doctors determine you’re not having a heart attack, you may receive more tests to find the reason for your symptoms. We’ll also monitor your condition to make sure you do not go home too soon, and you’re not unnecessarily admitted to the hospital.

Rehabilitation

After a heart attack, safely strengthen your heart and improve your health with supervised cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.