Recently, there has been news of heart attack victims surviving heart attacks more so than in past years. It is likely due to the fact that people are recognizing heart attack signs and taking action. It is also true that if they survive the first month from the day of the attack, they have a more likely chance at survival.

According to Sedars Sinai:

A heart attack symptom or myocardial infarction is a medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly and severely reduced or cut off, causing the muscle to die from lack of oxygen. More than 1.1 million people experience a heart attack (myocardial infarction) each year, and for many of them, the heart attack is their first symptom of coronary artery disease. A heart attack may be severe enough to cause death or it may be silent. As many as one out of every five people have only mild symptoms or none at all, and the heart attack may only be discovered by routine electrocardiography done some time later.

Heart Attack Symptoms

Not everyone has the same heart attack symptoms when having a myocardial infarction. Common ones include:

• About 2 out of every 3 people who have heart attacks have chest pain, shortness of breath or feel tired a few days or weeks before the attack
• A person who has angina (temporary chest pain) may find that it happens more often after less and less physical activity. A change in the pattern of angina should be taken seriously.
• During a heart attack, a person may feel pain in the middle of the chest that can spread to the back, jaw or arms. The pain may also be felt in all of these places and not the chest. Sometime the pain is felt in the stomach area, where it may be taken for indigestion. The pain is like that of angina but usually more severe, longer lasting and does not get better by resting or taking a nitroglycerin pill.
• About 1 out of every 3 people who have heart attacks do not feel any chest pain. These people are more likely to be women, non-Caucasian, older than 75, someone with heart failure or diabetes and someone who has had a stroke.
• Faintness
• Sudden sweating
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath, especially in older people
• Heavy pounding of the heart
• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), which occur in more than 90% of the people who have had a heart attack
• Loss of consciousness, which sometimes is the first symptom of a heart attack
• Feelings of restlessness, sweatiness, anxiety and a sense of impending doom
• Bluishness of the lips, hands or feet
• Older people may have symptoms that resemble a stroke and may become disoriented
• Older people, especially women, often take longer than younger people to admit they are ill or to seek medical help

During the early hours of a heart attack, heart murmurs and other abnormal heart sounds may be heard through a stethoscope.

According to the American Heart Association:

Heart Attack Warning Signs
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense — the “movie heart attack,” where no one doubts what’s happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren’t sure what’s wrong and wait too long before getting help. Here are signs that can mean a heart attack is happening:

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attack signs involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness

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.

Learn the signs, but remember this: Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, have it checked out (tell a doctor about your symptoms). Minutes matter! Fast action can save lives — maybe your own. Don’t wait more than five minutes to call 9-1-1.

Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services (EMS) staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too. It is best to call EMS for rapid transport to the emergency room.

If you can’t access the emergency medical services (EMS), have someone drive you to the hospital right away. If you’re the one having symptoms, don’t drive yourself, unless you have absolutely no other option.

Understanding Heart Attack Symptoms:

The blood supply to the heart muscle is controlled by the coronary arteries. The tissues in your body need oxygen-rich blood to function and oxygen-depleted blood must be carried away. There are two main arteries, the left and the right. The left coronary artery system moves into the circumflex artery and the left anterior artery.

InfraReDx, Inc. announced today the first use in patients of a novel coronary catheter that uses both light and sound to image coronary plaques. Working on a team led by Dr. Patrick Serruys, Dr. Martin van der Ent performed the procedures on May 11, 2009 in patients undergoing coronary angiography at the Thorax center.

The combination catheter provides the benefits of both IVUS and NIRS imaging in a single study of the artery. IVUS is a well-established technique that is in common use to quantify the degree of narrowing produced by a plaque, the size of the artery and the adequacy of stent expansion. NIRS is a novel technique recently cleared by the FDA for the identification of lipid core plaques, the structures suspected to cause most heart attack symptoms and complicate stenting procedures.

Prof. Serruys stated that, “The composition of atherosclerotic plaques is important in assessing the likelihood that they will cause cardiovascular events. This novel device provides composition on top of anatomy and will play a pivotal role in interventional cardiology, first in clinical trials and further on in treatment planning in individual patients.”

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