Understanding Heart Attacks

Overview

Heart attacks can present with various symptoms, not always resembling the dramatic portrayals in Hollywood.

Symptoms

• Typical Symptoms:

  • Crushing pressure in the chest.
  • Pain shooting down your arm.
  • Difficulty breathing.

• Alternative Symptoms:

  • Subtle ache and nausea.
  • No dramatic chest pain or arm tingling.
  • Sometimes no symptoms at all.

Causes

• Heart attacks occur when blood flow is severely blocked.
• Fatty deposits build up along the artery walls, narrowing them.
• In some cases, these deposits rupture, forming a blood clot, which can block the artery and stop blood flow to the heart.

Common Symptoms of Heart Attack

1. Chest Pain:

   • Tight, crushing, or squeezing sensation.
   • Described as feeling like an elephant sitting on the chest.

2. Others:

   • Pain radiating to arms, neck, or jaw.
   • Shortness of breath.
   • Cold sweat, dizziness, light-headedness, and weakness.
   • Nausea or vomiting, especially in women.

Silent Heart Attacks

• Occur without dramatic symptoms.
• More common in older individuals or those with diabetes due to neuropathy or reduced nerve sensitivity to pain signals.

Emergency Actions

• Call emergency services immediately if a heart attack is suspected.
• Take nitroglycerin if available to help open blocked arteries.
• At the hospital, an angiography might be suggested for closer examination of the heart.

Next Steps

• For more information on angiography procedures, watch the next video.