A heart attack is a frightening event that you probably don’t like to think about. But, if you learn the signs of a heart attack and what steps to take, you can save a life – maybe your own.
Recognize the Signs
Many people think a heart attack is sudden and intense, like a “movie” heart attack, where a person clutches his or her chest and falls over. The truth is that many heart attacks start slowly, as a mild pain or discomfort. Your symptoms can even come and go.
“If you feel such a symptom, you might not be sure what’s wrong. Even people who have had a previous heart attack sometimes don’t recognize it if it happens again, because the next attack can have entirely different symptoms,” said Cooper University Hospital cardiologist Elias A. Iliadis, MD, Medical Director of Noninvasive Vascular Intervention at the Cooper Heart Institute.
Also, if you’re a woman, you may not believe you’re as vulnerable to a heart attack as men, but you are. Women account for nearly half of all heart attack deaths. Heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men.
It’s vital that everyone learn the warning signs of a heart attack. They are:
- Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
- Shortness of breath. Often comes along with chest discomfort. But it also can occur before chest discomfort.
- Other symptoms. May include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness.
As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
Act Fast
If you or a family member feels heart attack symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately. Do not delay. Seek fast treatment. Minutes matter. “Heart attack deaths and heart damage can often be avoided when treatment begins within an hour of when the symptoms started. Most studies show a large reduction in death rates and in heart damage in patients treated within 1 hour of the start of symptoms,” said Dr. Iliadis.
There are differences in how women and men respond to a heart attack. “Women are less likely than men to believe they’re having a heart attack and more likely to delay seeking emergency treatment,” Dr. Iliadis said.
Further, women are more likely to have other conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and congestive heart failure–making it all the more vital that they get proper treatment fast.
Heart disease is the number one killer of American women, and nearly half of all heart attack deaths each year happen to women. Furthermore, women are less likely to survive a heart attack than men.
Be Safe, Not Sorry
Some people who are experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack might wait hours or even days before seeking needed medical care because they do not recognize their symptoms as life-threatening. That’s why it’s important to know the signs and take action quickly.
“Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, you should still have it checked out. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and sometimes chest pain — even mild chest pain — is the only indicator of the beginning of a heart attack,” Dr. Iliadis said.
Emergency medical personnel, or mobile EMS teams, can diagnose a heart attack and begin treatment on the spot. They can even revive a heart that has stopped or is beating erratically.
“Emergency medical personnel want you to call to get your symptoms checked out. Even if the call turns out to be a false alarm, running the risk of feeling a little embarrassed is better than running the risk of dying or having a permanently damaged heart,” Dr. Iliadis said.
Help Yourself and Others
The time it takes for an individual to decide to ask for help is the most significant portion of time delay in getting needed medical treatment for heart attack. Sometimes heart attack sufferers dismiss the seriousness of their symptoms or they fail to recognize their symptoms as life-threatening.
Studies show that family members should expect lack of awareness or denial of the seriousness of the symptoms from those suffering a heart attack, and resistance to calling for help. Many heart attack sufferers will reject calling 9-1-1, thus delaying the arrival of help. That’s why it’s best to enlist family, friends, and co-workers now. Discuss the symptoms. Talk to your doctors about risk for a heart attack. Make a survival plan, before you need one. And remember, while most heart attacks occur in people over 65 years of age, 45 percent, or nearly half, of all heart attacks occur in people under age 65, and five percent occur in people under age 40.
“Whenever a heart attack is suspected, everyone should know to call 9-1-1 immediately. Don’t wait for the person having symptoms to agree. Take charge to make sure the person gets checked out sooner rather than later,” Dr. Iliadis said.
When You’re Having a Heart Attack, Every Minute Counts.
Cooper cardiologists open blocked arteries without surgery, using angioplasty, which restores blood flow and saves vital heart muscle. On average, Cooper doctors perform emergency angioplasty 32 minutes faster than the national average of 90 minutes, saving lives and reducing complications. Many hospitals in the community provide heart care, but few can mobilize a team available 24/7 to provide the skilled emergency care to open blocked coronary arteries. The Cooper Cardiac Catheterization Lab has the physicians, staff, and technology to provide the best heart-attack care in the region.
High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. In fact, the higher your cholesterol level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.
More than 2 million people in the United States rely on an implanted device such as a pacemaker or defibrillator to regulate their heart rate and rhythm. As more and more patients have cardiac devices implanted at younger ages, the need to replace devices and remove the leads that connect these devices has grown tremendously in recent years.
Physicians are now providing an innovative cardiac catheterization technique that reduces recovery time and bleeding, and may provide a less stressful option for some patients needing the procedure. Called radial artery access, the procedure uses arteries in the wrist for inserting the catheter into the heart.
Heart Disease. Heart Failure. Heart Attack. Cardiac Arrest. Exactly what do all these terms mean and how do they differ?
