Wollongong Hospital's director of cardiology Dr Astin Lee has urged Illawarra residents not to ignore the signs of a heart attack.
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A national Heart Foundation survey last year revealed that one in four Australians wouldn't call an ambulance if they thought they were having a heart attack.
Dr Lee, speaking during Heart Week, said he believed the results of the national survey rang true in the Illawarra where many people were waiting too long to seek medical help for heart attacks.
"Certainly in the Illawarra most patients will not ring an ambulance if they have chest discomfort," he said. "But if you think you could be having a heart attack you should ring triple-0 immediately.
"Illawarra ambulances have recently been equipped with ECG machines which allows ambulance officers to conduct heart tracing at a patient's home.
"They can then transmit the information to a cardiologist who, in the event of a heart attack, will instruct ambulance officers to bring the patient directly to Wollongong Hospital.
"If heart tracing does not show a heart attack, then the patient may be treated at home or transferred to hospital if they still require a medical assessment.
"The Illawarra is one of the first regional areas to implement this program and it's proving very successful in making the best use of available resources."
Dr Lee said heart disease was still the No 1 killer of Australians and people also needed to take preventive measures.
"Prevention is better than cure," he said. "A lot of heart disease could be prevented through good diet, regular exercise and appropriate healthcare."
Heart Foundation NSW chief executive Kerry Doyle said the results of the national survey were alarming, given that an Australian died of a heart attack every 53 minutes and half of all heart attack deaths happened before the person reached hospital.
"Most people think a heart attack is a one off - once it happens, it's passed - but the longer you wait to react to the warning signs, the more your heart muscle dies," Ms Doyle said.
"People who are treated within an hour of their first heart attack symptom have the greatest chance of not only surviving their heart attack, but continuing to enjoy a good quality of life.
"It's always OK to call triple-0 if you experience heart attack warning signs and if it turns out to be a false alarm then that's the best thing that could happen."
Warning signs may be pain, pressure, heaviness or tightness in parts of the upper body with nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness or a cold sweat. Visit heartattackfacts.org.au.
