Chest Pain Center

Accredited Chest Pain Centers save 37% more lives.

The Reading Hospital leads the way in cardiac care as the first Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI in Berks County. Our Chest Pain Center provides state-of-the-art, rapid assessment and treatment of potential heart attack patients 24 hours daily.

Accreditation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers means that Reading Hospital’s Chest Pain Center meets or exceeds the rigorous national guidelines for acute coronary syndrome care established by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

Accreditation with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) means that the Chest Pain Center meets national standards for aggressive treatment using cardiac catheterization (angioplasty) to rapidly re-establish blood flow to the heart and minimize heart damage.

Time is CRITICAL when it comes to chest pain.

Time from Arrival to Treatment

The Reading Hospital Chest Pain Center exceeds national standards for assessment and treatment of ischemic heart disease. Time is critical when it comes to chest pain. Our steamlined process and superior teamwork allow us to deliver the very best cardiac care to our community.

The treatment process for chest pain begins when a patient calls 9-1-1 and is transported to The Reading Hospital Emergency Department. Upon arrival, patients with EKG readings that indicate a heart attack are efficiently assessed and transported to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for treatment.

Our systematic approach has resulted in superior "time to treatment" during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when intervention is most effective.

Call 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY if you experience any of these heart attack symptoms:

• Pain or discomfort in the center of the chest
• Pain or discomfort spreading to the arm(s), back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Difficulty breathing
• Heartburn, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain
• Cold sweats or clammy skin
• Dizziness or light-headedness