The top priority in a heart attack is not to waste time. The earliness of the treatment is crucial for the chances of survival of the affected person. Therefore, an emergency physician should be called immediately whenever there is any suspicion. Difficulties in recognizing a myocardial infarction arise from the fact that symptoms may differ in men and women. For this reason, it also takes different tests to diagnose a heart attack.
Myocardial infarction: typical symptoms
Typical symptoms in myocardial infarction are:
- Persistent severe pain, especially behind the breastbone, which may also radiate to the shoulder blades, arms, neck and jaw, or even the upper abdomen
- A strong feeling of tightness and pressure in the chest
- A feeling of pressure with shortness of breath – as if someone had the heart attack victim in a “headlock”
- A burning sensation in the chest
- Palpitations, heart stuttering
- Cold sweating
- Weakness
- Paleness of the face
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Heart attack symptoms are also often accompanied by fear of death and, in the elderly, confusion.
Understanding laboratory values: The most important abbreviations in the check
The danger of silent infarction
Affected people with coronary heart disease use a nitro spray against the discomfort – it is typical that this shows no or hardly any effect in a heart attack.
Especially in the case of seniors, diabetics and also women, typical symptoms and signs such as chest pain are often absent during a heart attack, which is then referred to as a “silent infarction”. This leads to the diagnosis of heart attack being made late or being misjudged.
Especially in women, a heart attack often manifests itself only by nausea, shortness of breath or discomfort in the upper abdomen.
Heart attack: diagnosis
For heart attack diagnosis, an ECG is written, which usually shows typical changes, but in some cases may be inconspicuous in the first hours. Therefore, this is repeated after six to twelve hours and supplemented by blood tests.
When tissue dies, certain enzymes are released from the decayed cells, which can be detected at different times (troponin T, myocardial creatine phosphokinase = CK-MB, myoglobin).
Ultrasonography or radiography of the coronary arteries is performed for this purpose.