24/7 Emergency Room in Irving, TX
Chest pressure, jaw or arm pain, cold sweat, or sudden breathlessness? Call 911 now. EKG within 10 minutes, cardiac labs on-site, and direct cath-lab coordination.
A heart attack happens when a clot blocks blood flow to part of the heart muscle. Without oxygen, that muscle starts dying within minutes. According to the CDC, about 805,000 Americans have one each year, and roughly 1 in 5 happen silently.
A heart attack is not the same as cardiac arrest. A heart attack is a plumbing problem: a blocked artery. Cardiac arrest is an electrical problem: the heart stops beating. They can occur together, and both demand immediate emergency care.
The longer the artery stays blocked, the larger the permanent damage. That is why everything on this page comes back to one word: speed.
Medically reviewed by the ER of Irving Medical Team | Updated: July 2026
The first four are the classic pattern: call 911 and do not drive yourself. The last four are how heart attacks hide, especially in women. Two or more together is cardiac until proven otherwise.
Squeezing or fullness that persists at rest, or fades and returns. Call 911.
Discomfort radiating to the jaw, neck, back, or one or both arms. Call 911.
With or without chest pain, breathlessness at rest is a 911 call.
Breaking into a sweat with chest discomfort or lightheadedness. Call 911.
About 70% of women feel unexplained exhaustion for days or weeks before a heart attack.
New upper-stomach burning with sweating, especially in women and people with diabetes.
Women are 30% less likely to report chest pain. Back, neck and jaw pain stand in for it.
Many patients describe a feeling that something is deeply wrong. Trust it.
Our team is trained to identify a STEMI within the first 10 minutes of triage.
Vital signs, oxygen levels, and a focused history the moment you walk in.
A 12-lead EKG identifies a complete blockage, a partial one, or unstable angina.
High-sensitivity cardiac enzymes confirm muscle damage. Chest X-ray rules out the mimics.
Aspirin, anti-clotting medication and oxygen here, then direct cath-lab activation for blockages.
Cardiologists say it plainly: time is muscle. Every minute a coronary artery stays blocked, more heart cells die. The American Heart Association standard is 90 minutes or less from door to reopened artery.
That clock starts when you call 911, not when you arrive. Paramedics run an EKG in the field, transmit it ahead, and activate the cath-lab team before you reach any door. Driving yourself throws those minutes away.
When chest pain turns out not to be cardiac, we keep looking: a clot in the lung, reflux, or a muscle strain. Our chest pain protocol covers the full workup, and nobody leaves with a question mark.
With a heart attack, the ambulance is treatment, not just transportation.
Chest pressure past 5 minutes, pain spreading to jaw or arm, cold sweat, fainting, or sudden breathlessness. EMS starts care in your driveway.
Mild, stable symptoms, someone else driving, and a trip under 10 minutes. We are open 24/7 with no appointment.
Heartburn changes with meals. A pulled muscle hurts with movement. A heart attack persists at rest. If you cannot tell, let the EKG decide.
Yes. Some heart attacks present mainly as upper-abdominal burning, especially in women and people with diabetes. If the burning is new, severe, or paired with sweating or breathlessness, treat it as cardiac until an EKG and labs prove otherwise.
Symptoms can run from a few minutes to several hours. Even brief, repeated episodes that ease with rest signal coronary artery disease and deserve urgent evaluation. Do not wait for pain to become constant before acting.
Yes. Coronary artery spasm, stimulant use, spontaneous coronary artery dissection, and inherited high cholesterol all cause heart attacks in younger adults. Age alone is never a reason to dismiss classic symptoms.
High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, and inactivity drive most risk, and about half of Americans have at least one of the big three. Age, family history of early heart disease, and menopause add non-modifiable risk.
Patients are stabilized here, then transferred to a cath-lab facility where cardiologists reopen the artery, usually with a stent. Recovery includes cardiac rehabilitation, medications, and follow-up with a cardiologist. Many people return to full, active lives.
Emergency care is protected. Under the federal No Surprises Act and Texas Department of Insurance balance-billing rules, patients are shielded from surprise balance bills for emergency treatment. We post all required Texas disclosures and can discuss costs with you on arrival.
Call 911 first for heart attack signs. For mild, stable symptoms, walk in any time. Experienced emergency physicians, EKG, labs and imaging, 24 hours a day.
