A heart attack is a medical emergency. It happens when a blood vessel that supplies the heart muscle gets blocked, usually by a clot forming on a fatty deposit. The part of the heart that stops getting blood starts to get damaged, and the damage grows with every minute. Knowing the heart attack warning signs and acting in the first hour can save a life.
That is why the first hour matters so much. Recognising the signs quickly and reaching a hospital early can save heart muscle and save a life. Below, our medical team sets out the warning signs, the symptoms that are easy to miss, and what you and your family should do.
Common warning signs
- Chest pain or discomfort: pressure, heaviness, tightness or burning in the centre of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
- Pain that spreads: to one or both arms, the shoulders, neck, jaw, back or upper belly.
- Sweating: cold, heavy sweating without exertion.
- Breathlessness: with or without chest pain.
- Nausea or vomiting, dizziness or fainting.
- Sudden unusual weakness, or a strong feeling that something is very wrong.
Many people mistake heart pain for gas or acidity. If chest discomfort is new or severe, or comes with sweating or breathlessness, treat it as a possible heart attack until a doctor says otherwise.
Silent or unusual symptoms
People with diabetes
Diabetes can affect the nerves, so some diabetic patients feel little or no chest pain during a heart attack. They may have only breathlessness, sudden weakness, sweating, vomiting or uneasiness (ghabrahat). Families of diabetic patients should take these symptoms seriously.
Women
Women can have the typical chest pain, but they more often have breathlessness, pain in the back, jaw or upper belly, nausea and extreme tiredness. Women often ignore their own symptoms while looking after the family. Please do not.
Elderly people
Older people may show only confusion, weakness, breathlessness or fainting.
What to do in the first hour
- Stop all activity. Help the person sit or lie down comfortably and loosen tight clothing.
- Call for help at once. Tell family and neighbours, call the national emergency number 112 or your local ambulance service, and arrange transport.
- Go to the nearest hospital emergency that can do an ECG, without delay. Do not wait to see if the pain settles, and do not wait for the next morning or for an OPD day.
- Do not drive yourself. If you have chest pain, let someone else drive, or use an ambulance.
- Aspirin only if advised. Some patients are advised to chew an aspirin tablet during a suspected heart attack, but it is not safe for everyone, for example people with an aspirin allergy or bleeding problems. Take it only if a doctor or the emergency service tells you to.
- Do not take someone else's heart medicines, and do not lose time on home remedies, massage or gas medicines.
- Take old reports and the medicine list if they are at hand, but do not delay leaving to search for them.
If the person collapses
If the person does not respond and is not breathing normally, shout for help and call for an ambulance. If someone knows CPR, they should start hard and fast chest compressions in the centre of the chest and continue until medical help takes over.
What happens at the hospital
The emergency team will do an ECG as soon as possible, check blood pressure and oxygen, and start treatment. Blood tests may be sent. Treatment to open the blocked vessel, either with clot-dissolving medicine or with angioplasty, works best when started early. Angioplasty needs a cath lab, so the doctors may refer the patient to a higher centre. We do not have a cath lab at our hospital; when angiography or angioplasty is needed, our cardiologist advises on it and arranges it at a suitable centre. Please follow the doctors' advice quickly, because every minute counts.
Know your risk factors
- Diabetes (sugar) and high blood pressure
- Smoking, bidi, gutkha, khaini and other tobacco
- High cholesterol
- Being overweight, especially a large waist, and lack of physical activity
- A parent, brother or sister who had a heart attack at a young age
- Increasing age, though heart attacks are also seen in younger people
- Long-term stress and poor sleep
Prevention and regular check-ups
- Stop tobacco in every form.
- Keep sugar and blood pressure under control, and take medicines regularly.
- Walk briskly for about 30 minutes on most days, if your doctor allows.
- Eat less fried food, salt and sugar, and more vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
- Get regular check-ups if you have any risk factors.
For planned heart check-ups, not for emergencies, we offer ECG and ECHO (an ultrasound of the heart), and TMT and Holter monitoring at Dr. R.K. Thakur Hospital. TMT is a treadmill stress test, and a Holter records the ECG continuously for 24 hours or more. Our visiting cardiologist, Dr. C.K. Yadav, Consultant Cardiologist (DM Cardiology), holds a cardiology OPD at our hospital every Thursday. If angiography is needed, he evaluates the patient, advises on the procedure and arranges it at a suitable centre.
When to see a doctor
- Go to emergency immediately for chest pain lasting more than a few minutes, chest pain with sweating or breathlessness, fainting, or sudden severe breathlessness. Never wait for an OPD day.
- See a doctor soon if you get chest discomfort or breathlessness on walking or climbing stairs that settles with rest, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or swelling of the feet.
- Plan a check-up if you have diabetes, high BP, a smoking habit or a family history of heart disease and have never had your heart checked.
At Dr. R.K. Thakur Hospital, led by Dr. Rajnish Kumar Thakur, our founder and chief surgeon, we welcome patients from Gopalganj, Siwan, Chhapra and nearby districts for planned heart tests and for consultation with Dr. C.K. Yadav in our Thursday cardiology OPD. Dr. Yadav also does heart fitness checks before operations, so many of our surgical patients do not need to travel to Patna or Gorakhpur for this. You can read more about our ECG and ECHO heart tests.
Our emergency is open 24x7. For Thursday cardiology OPD appointments and heart tests, please call or WhatsApp us on +91 72739 94786.
