Condition Spotlight: Heart Attack

Someone has a heart attack every 34 seconds in the United States. Every 60 seconds, someone in the United States dies from a heart disease-related event. Of the 720,000 Americans who suffer heart attacks each year, 515,000 are a first heart attack and 205,000 happen in people who have already had a heart attack.

A myocardial infarction—the medical term for a heart attack—refers to permanent damage to the heart muscle caused by a lack of blood supply to heart tissue. This shouldn’t be confused with cardiac arrest, which describes the abrupt loss of heart function caused when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions. According to WebMD, symptoms of a heart attack can include:

• Discomfort, pressure, heaviness or pain in the chest, arm or below the breastbone
• Discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat or arm
• Fullness, indigestion or choking feeling (may feel like heartburn)
• Sweating, nausea, vomiting or dizziness
• Extreme weakness, anxiety or shortness of breath
• Rapid or irregular heartbeats

During a heart attack, symptoms typically last 30 minutes or longer and are not relieved by rest or oral medications. Initial symptoms may start as a mild discomfort that progresses to significant pain. It is important to note that some people have a heart attack without having any symptoms, which is known as a “silent” myocardial infarction. This occurs more often in people with diabetes.

If you think you are having a heart attack, DO NOT DELAY TAKING ACTION. Immediate treatment of a heart attack is very important to lessen the amount of damage to your heart. Call for emergency help (dial 911 in most areas) and seek immediate medical treatment.

Contact Principal Medical Group for more information about heart attacks or to schedule advanced cardiac testing and a heart CT screening to help evaluate your risk for heart disease.