12 March 2019 Author : Pedro de Araújo Gonçalves Although excruciating chest pain is the classic symptom of an infarction, in around one-third of cases it starts with mild, vague, intermittent symptoms. They are not necessarily painful. They can sometimes be mistaken for abdominal conditions , which mean these patients wait longer before going to hospital. What is a myocardial infarction? An infarction is the death of heart muscle tissue caused by an occlusion of one of the coronary arteries (arteries that irrigate the heart) or one of their branches by a thrombus. The thrombus normally forms in an atherosclerotic plaque that becomes unstable. The larger the coronary artery involved and the time during which the blood flow is cut off, the greater the damage to the heart will be. “Time is muscle”, which is why if you have symptoms in the middle of the night you should go straight to the hospital and not wait until the next morning. Myocardial infarction: when to seek help Seek emergency medical attention if you experience the following symptoms for more than five minutes: Pain, pressure, discomfort or tightness in the middle of the chest; Epigastric pain (below the ribs in the middle of your upper abdomen), which may radiate to the back, shoulders, neck, lower jaw or arms. These symptoms may be accompanied by: Cold sweats; Shortness of breath; Dizziness; Faintness; Nausea and vomiting; Unusual weakness; Arrhythmia; Sense of impending doom. Do not make light of your symptoms. There may be another explanation for what you are feeling, but it is important to rule out any cause that puts your life at risk or which may cut your life short in future. What, then, should I do? You need to be taken to hospital immediately. If you have a history of angina pectoris and have been taking Nitromint or equivalent, place a tablet under your tongue immediately. If the symptoms persist for the next five minutes, ask to be taken to hospital. The emergency medical personnel may make a diagnosis with an electrocardiogram at your home and start treatment right away. What hospital should I be taken to? The treatment of choice to unclog the artery that is causing the infarction is a coronary angioplasty . This type of treatment can only be performed at hospitals equipped with haemodynamic catheterisation rooms. It is better to go to a hospital with this equipment and a emergency cardiology team prepared to intervene 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you cannot be taken to a hospital with these facilities, there is another type of treatment that while less effective is potentially lifesaving. It is a pharmaceutical treatment used to try to dissolve the thrombus - thrombolysis. At the hospitals and clinics of the Hospital da Luz network, you can find cardiologists who specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. Meet the cardiology team from Hospital da Luz network. The content published in the Health Guide is intended for the general public and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace individual medical assessment, diagnosis, or personalized clinical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The content is produced or reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz and is based on the knowledge available at the time of publication or the most recent update, as indicated at the beginning of each item.
