Healthy Heart
Heart Attack Symptoms
A heart “attack” is an urgent message from your heart that it is starved for oxygen. When a clot blocks a heart vessel, oxygen-rich blood can’t reach the heart. At this point symptoms of a heart attack begin and it is imperative to get medical help immediately.
Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack include:
- Pain, pressure, fullness, a squeezing feeling or discomfort in chest, under your sternum or in mid-back
- Pain may radiate from chest to shoulders, neck, jaw, arms or back
- Pain and pressure may come and go, especially in women.
Other Symptoms:
- Profuse cold, clammy sweat on upper body
- Shortness of breath – may feel like a rope around the chest.
- Heartburn, nausea or vomiting -----not related to anything you ate.
- Lightheaded or weak feeling especially when you stand.
- Anxiety or feeling of doom
- Changes in skin color to pale or gray.
Call 911 immediately and get medical attention as soon as possible.
American Heart Association, 2002
