A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), is permanent damage to the heart muscle. “Myo” means muscle, “cardial” refers to the heart, and “infarction” means death of tissue due to lack of blood supply. In a heart attack, heart muscles have lack of blood supply, and for this the affected heart muscle dies out. Thus, the heart becomes weak and is unable to pump properly.
Someone having a heart attack may experience any or all of the following:
Uncomfortable pressure, fullness or squeezing pain in the center of the chest Prolonged pain in the upper abdomen Discomfort or pain spreading beyond the chest to the shoulders, neck, jaw, teeth, or one or both arms Shortness of breath Lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting Sweating NauseaA heart attack generally causes chest pain for more than 15 minutes, but it can also have no symptoms at all. Many people who experience a heart attack have warning signs hours, days or weeks in advance.
What to do if you or someone else may be having a heart attack
Call your local emergency. Don’t tough out the symptoms of a heart attack for more than five minutes. If you don’t have access to emergency medical services, inform a neighbor or a friend. Swallow 300gm aspirin, unless you’re allergic to aspirin or have been told by your doctor never to take aspirin. Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed. If you think you are having a heart attack and your doctor has previously prescribed nitroglycerin for you, take it as directed.