Heart Attack Warning Signs

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A heart attack can occur at any time. The Society of Chest Pain Centers reports that 50% of sudden cardiac deaths occur outside of a hospital, suggesting that many people do not act on early warning signs. Knowing and recognizing heart attack warning signs can save a life. When it comes to your heart, every minute matters.

If you or someone you love is experiencing any sign or symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 immediately and go directly to the emergency room.

Heart attacks are not always sudden and intense. Many heart attacks start slowly with only mild pain or discomfort. Some people do not experience chest pain but instead have other signs. Signs of a heart attack include:

Chest Discomfort

• Uncomfortable pressure, heaviness
• Squeezing, tightness
• Discomfort that lasts more than two minutes, may come and go

Discomfort In Other Areas Of The Upper Body

• One or both arms
• Back, neck or jaw
• Stomach or abdomen

Other Signs (With Or Without Chest Discomfort)

• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweat
• Nausea, vomiting
• Light-headedness
• Extreme weakness/fatigue
• Palpitations and confusion/altered mental status

Know The Difference Between Heart Attacks in Men & Women

Heart Attack Warning Signs in Men
While many symptoms of a heart attack are the same, men may experience different warning signs than women. Men may experience symptoms such as:

• Shortness of breath
• Weakness or unusual fatigue
• Cold sweat
• Dizziness

Heart Attack Warning Signs in Women
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, heart disease kills 1 out of 4 women in the United States. For many women, a heart attack may feel like a strange discomfort in the back, or another sign that is easy to ignore, instead of crushing chest pain. They may feel pressure, squeezing or shortness of breath. Symptoms may even pop up elsewhere in the body, such as the jaw.

The most common warning signals for a woman experiencing a heart attack may include:

• Pain or discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back
• Chest discomfort with sweating
• Pain that spreads from the chest to the arm, neck, or jaw
• Shortness of breath, tiredness, or upset stomach
• Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue

If you are at risk for heart disease and have any of these symptoms, seek medical attention or call 911 immediately.

When you're having a heart attack, every second counts. The longer the heart blockage remains untreated, the more heart muscle can die. Drugs that break down blockages must be administered in the first hours after a heart attack to be successful and minimize lasting damage.

Have Chest Pain? Call 911!

Because every minute counts when having a heart attack, getting to the emergency room as quickly as possible is important. Unfortunately, more than 50 percent of all patients experiencing chest pain walk into the emergency department rather than calling 911. The fact remains that every minute counts, and calling 911 starts treatment earlier.

• 911 dispatchers are often trained to not only locate you quickly, but also assist you in early treatment options. In many areas of the country, emergency medical services (EMS) can diagnose a heart attack by using an electrocardiogram (ECG) and also initiate early treatment.
• Arriving by ambulance to the emergency department helps to ensure that you will not wait to be seen by a physician. Many patients who experience chest pain drive themselves, only to find that they may wait in the emergency department lobby until they can see a doctor. Do not let this happen to you.
• EMS is able to radio ahead to the emergency department that you are on your way. This enables the emergency room staff to be ready for you when you arrive through their doors.

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