The most important thing to remember if you experience symptoms of heart attack is to call 911, says Stephen Marshall, medical director of the Emergency Department at Overlake Hospital.

“People shouldn’t drive themselves to the hospital because symptoms can get worse and often times people faint and get in a car accident. It’s best to call for help,” Marshall said.

A coronary thrombosis, or heart attack, occurs when a clot blocks any of the three main arteries that feed blood to the heart, he said. Over time, the heart that is being supplied by the blocked artery will die, which creates a heart attack.

There are several risk factors for heart disease, Marshall said. These include:

* Smoking. “If you’ve been smoking a while and quit, you reduce your risk of a heart attack by 50 percent,” he said.

* Manage diabetes and high blood pressure to prevent a heart attack;

* Family history and genetics also play a role. “Get frequent check-ups. If we can identify problems before you have a heart attack, we have good therapies now that can help keep that artery open,” he added.

Heart attack warning signs

According to Marshall, if you are having a heart attack, you may experience any of the following symptoms:

* Chest pain and/or pain in the arm or jaw;

* Shortness of breath;

* Nausea or vomiting;

* Sweating;

* Sense of doom or you may feel as though you are dying.

Eating healthy also is important, however some people who eat healthy or are not overweight still can have high cholesterol if it runs in the family, Marshall said.

Also, Bellevue and King County have the best pre-hospital system and best survival data for people having heart attacks in the world, he added.

“But it only works if you call.”