Pain in the left arm due to a heart attack
The heart is one of the most important organs of the body. It is the motor that maintains the circulation. The heart is a muscle and needs to be supplied with oxygen to perform at its best every day.
The oxygen-rich blood reaches the smallest heart muscle cells via the so-called coronary vessels (coronary arteries). These vessels branch out on the side of the heart and extend deep into the heart. Nowadays, genetic components and an unhealthy lifestyle cause these blood vessels to narrow in many people.
The connection between left-sided arm pain and a heart attack has not yet been fully clarified, but it is assumed that heart pain due to an undersupply of heart muscle tissue can be transmitted to the left upper arm and cause discomfort there. If an important coronary artery narrows, but sufficient blood can still be pumped into the heart at normal performance, the affected person does not notice any symptoms at rest. However, the constrictions can become so severe that the blood flow is no longer sufficient to reach even the smallest heart muscle cells when the load is greater.
This results in a feeling of pressure in the chest, which occurs especially under stress. This is also known as an angina pectoris attack, which should definitely be clarified cardiologically. Symptoms such as shortness of breath, pain of destruction in the chest, palpitations and loss of performance indicate cardiac involvement.
In any case, an ECG should be taken as a primary diagnosis in case of left-sided arm pain. If the large blood vessels close completely, there is not enough oxygen-rich blood available for the heart beating at rest and it can no longer be adequately supplied. This results in the death of heart muscle cells in the affected area.
At this moment of acute occlusion of one or more coronary arteries in connection with the death of heart muscle cells, one also speaks of an acute heart attack. Although a myocardial infarction is one of the most common diseases today and can also be treated very well by advanced medicine, an acute myocardial infarction always represents a life-threatening condition. For many people any help comes too late.Due to the initial cardiological measures, however, it is now possible to treat a large proportion of early diagnosed heart attacks in such a way that patients can continue to live without major restrictions.
Today, all cardiology centers use a cardiac catheter technique in which so-called stents are inserted into the narrowed coronary vessel. In the past, in addition to lysis treatment, in which the constricted vessel was reopened by the administration of blood-thinning medication, bypass surgery was also an everyday treatment measure. Today, thanks to the stent procedure, only one bypass surgery is necessary if no stent can be safely placed in the constricted vessel.
