Marquette General Heart Institute

Symptoms of a heart attack
	Pressure, fullness, tightness or pain in the chest, lasting 5 minutes or longer
	Pain that radiates to the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back
	Light headedness, dizziness, fainting, sweating or nausea
	Persistent indigestion-like discomfort
	Unexplained shortness of breath
	Extreme fatigue

Anyone experiencing these symptoms for longer than 5 minutes should go to your emergency room immediately. Many people delay potentially lifesaving care by denying that these signs indicate a heart attack.

Chest Pain

Don't second-guess symptoms.

If you have steady or constant chest pain, the worst thing to do is wait an hour to see if it will go away. If it's a heart attack, more heart muscle dies every minute you delay getting help. And with each minute, your risk of sudden cardiac death goes up.

Here's the good news: New medications are saving lives and dramatically reducing the amount of heart damage from a heart attack.  But early intervention is the key to survival.

Something wrong?  Or is it something you ate?

A heart attack may feel as mild as a slight pressure in the middle of the chest. Because a heart attack can be mistaken for indigestion, the flu or angina, victims are tempted to take a wait-and-see attitude. If the chest discomfort is a heart attack, waiting to get medical help could be a fatal decision.

A heart attack can also feel like heart burn. However, if the burning sensation in your chest isn't relieved within 60 seconds of taking an antacid, something else might be causing the discomfort. Contact your emergency room, particularly if your symptoms last longer than five minutes.

People with coronary artery disease are familiar with another type of chest pain known as angina.

Angina is usually a dull, achy discomfort or squeezing pain in the central chest that occurs when the heart muscle isn't receiving enough blood.  When fatty deposits build up in the arteries, blood flow to the heart decreases. When emotional stress, exertion or exercise increase the work of the heart, the narrowed arteries may not permit enough blood flow to the heart, causing pain.  Unlike a heart attack, angina does not cause permanent heart damage because the arteries are narrowed but not blocked.

If chest pain is unusually severe, feels different or does not subside within 5 minutes.  Dial 911 or have someone drive you to a hospital emergency room immediately.

Timing

Timing is critical in treating a heart attack. A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, happens when the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart is completely shut off. Starved of oxygen, the heart muscle begins to die. This usually occurs when a small blood clot completely blocks a narrowed artery. The sooner treatment is initiated, the more heart muscle can be saved.

Thrombolytic drugs which dissolve blood clots can open clogged arteries and restore blood flow to the heart. But thrombolytic therapy should begin within 60 minutes to be most effective. The sooner the patient gets treatment, the greater the chances he or she will survive with minimal heart damage.  Minimal heart damage means better outcomes and a better quality of life.

For more information please call the Marquette General Heart Institute
at 906-225-4600 or 1-800-562-9753 ext 4600