Treatment For Chest Pain
The form of treatment used to treat your chest pain is largely dependent upon the cause. In order to determine this, our team of medical professionals will first check to ensure that you are not suffering from a heart attack, pulmonary embolism or any other form of life-threatening condition. After ruling out the most serious concerns, your physician will diagnose you based on your current symptoms, a review of your medical history and in some cases, test results, such as EKG, stress tests and a CT scan. If you believe that you are having a heart attack, visit the emergency room or call 911 instead of coming to urgent care.
Depending on the cause of the chest pain, your doctor is likely to prescribe one of the following treatment methods:
Most commonly, medication to improve blood flow is used to treat chest pain caused by a heart issue. The most common forms of heart medication for chest pain include nitroglycerin, thrombolytic drugs and blood thinners. If the doctor does not believe the pain is related to a heart issue, they may give you another form of pain relief medication to help treat the pain.
If the chest pain is caused by a panic attack or other manifestation of anxiety , your doctor may prescribe anti-anxiety medication in order to ease the panic attack symptoms. In the most severe situations where the chest pain is caused by a serious heart or lung issue, you may need surgery.
How Long Can A Woman Have Symptoms Or Signs Of Blockage Before A Heart Attack Occurs
Is it possible to walk around with heart attack symptoms for a period of time? Yes, but for how long is impossible to state, says Dr. Watson. Every woman is different.
Thats why if there are any worrisome symptoms its best to get them checked as soon as possible.The symptoms that should send you directly to get checked out are chest pain, shortness of breath or fainting, she says.
As for knowing whether your blood vessels to your heart are becoming blocked, unfortunately, says Dr. Watson, you probably wont. Its really hard to know pre-symptoms, she says, though you and your healthcare provider can be on the lookout if she knows your family history and is monitoring your cholesterol, blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors. What you are going to really feel are the symptoms I wish there were an early warning sign but there isnt.
Chest Pain: Its Not Always A Matter Of The Heart
There are plenty of other potential suspects when it comes to chest pain.
Mild or severe discomfort in the middle or left side of the chest that feels like fullness, pressure or squeezing could be a potential sign of a cardiovascular event.Most people experience chest pain at some point, but how do you know if it is a heart attack or simply heartburn or anxiety?
Understanding the differences between cardiovascular events and other causes of chest pain can save you a trip to the emergency room. It is also important because the discomfort could be caused by other urgent conditions, as well as less serious issues that may point to a chronic medical problem.
When it comes to cardiovascular causes of chest pain, UAB Medicinecardiologist Gregory Chapman, M.D., says the usual suspects include coronary artery blockages, high blood pressure, and heart valve or rhythm disorders. But there are plenty of other potential suspects. Chapman included a chapter on chest pain diagnosis in his book A Strong and Steady Pulse: Cardiac Stories, which is scheduled for publication in 2021.
Take symptoms seriously
In the United States, nearly 6 percent of emergency room patients report chest pain. More than half of those cases involve non-cardiac chest pain, or NCCP, that is caused by heartburn, anxiety or other issues. A staggering 80 percent of patients who complain of chest pain during primary care visits are simply experiencing NCCP.
Gregory Chapman, M.D.Mimicking a heart attack
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What Causes Heart Disease In Women
One frequent cause of a heart attack in women is plaque buildup in the arteries. Women suffer blood vessel damage, which reduces the blood flow to the heart, then causes a heart attack.
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The pain from a heart attack occurs when one of the arteries supplying blood to the heart becomes blocked.
In addition to the comparison with white women, high blood pressure and diabetes are stronger risk factors in women versus men as well.
Women are reported to be less likely referred for cardiac rehabilitation in comparison to men and less likely to complete the rehabilitation if they are referred. The same is the case for guideline medications they are less used by women.
What Should You Do If You Have Symptoms Of A Heart Attack
- . One Swiss study found that women wait almost 40 minutes longer to call for help than men do, perhaps because they dont recognize the symptoms. Older research shows that calling an ambulance is usually quicker than driving yourself to the ER. Thats because if they know youre coming, the hospital can prep for you, and you get care along the way.
- Lead with chest pain or pressure when you get to the hospital and the doctor asks about your symptoms. Even if you have other symptoms, Put that out first rather than burying it, advises Lichtman.
- Dont play down what youre feeling. Be the squeaky wheel, says Dr. Watson. Dr. Lichtman has done research showing that younger women who need care for a heart attack often dont want to look alarmist. Dont feel bad or think that you dont want to disturb anyone this is our job to save your life, Dr. Watson says.
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Vomiting And Nausea Can Be A Sign That A Heart Attack Is Imminent
This is not about an actual heart attack in progress, but vomiting and nausea as a warning sign that a heart attack is in the very near future.
Nausea and vomiting are very complex interactions between the brain and the stomach, says Michael Fiocco, MD, Chief of Open Heart Surgery at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, one of the nations top 50 heart hospitals.
The scientific thinking behind myocardial ischemia or infarction associated with nausea relates to the vagus nerve, continues Dr. Fiocco.
Myocardial ischemia simply means depletion of oxygen to heart muscle. Infarction means tissue death.
The vagus nerve arises from the brain and travels through the neck, along the esophagus, and gives off nerve fibers to the heart before continuing into the abdomen where it supplies nerves to the stomach, explains Dr. Fiocco.
So there is the stomach-heart-brain connection. Why people get nausea prior to a heart attack may be similar to why people get arm, neck or jaw pain rather than chest pain.
A lot of overlapping circuits may cause the brain to misread the signals, leading to nausea or left arm pain rather than chest pain.
Of course, being overcome with nausea, as a result of conditions ripe for a heart attack, can then lead to vomiting.
Vomiting was a tip-off to me that my mother might be having a heart attack, or that a heart attack was looming around the corner for her.
Shoulder Pain And Heart Attack: How Are They Related
When the flow of blood to the heart is obstructed, mostly by fat build up, cholesterol, or other substances that form plague in the arteries leading to the heart, you suffer a heart attack. The blockage in the blood flow can destruct or damage part of the heart muscle. Also, referred to as a myocardial infraction, it can cause death. However, treatment has improved drastically over the years. If you experience a heart attack, dial 911 immediately. But many heart attack symptoms are confusing. For example, lots people just brush off shoulder pain causally and thinks they are nothing to worry about. But the truth is that it may indicate heart attack.
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Real Stories About Experiencing Heart Attack
“I never connect nausea, shoulder pain, heart attack together. However, one day I was cutting the grass one afternoon and walked to the house to drink water and had a sit. Then I felt nauseated and sudden pain that spread to my arm, which then curled up and could not uncurl. I had my grandson call 911 and was flown directly to a cardiac hospital after the ambulance crew said I was in full ST elevation myocardial infraction. I coded 4 times, but I recovered and was released the next day.”
“I am 58 and 3 weeks ago I had a heart attack. For a month I had symptoms like pain in my jaw, shoulder, face, arm, back and a burning in my chest. All these I felt on the left side of my body. The pain would always ease up, but one night I woke up and the pain did not go away. I took aspirin and I started throwing up, i was rushed to ER where they told me I was having a heart attack. I got treated and I now am home.”
“My mother complained about shoulder pain. Not much attention was paid and her joints ached as well but she thought it was flu. The day she experience chest pain was the day she passed out because of a major heart attack.”
Pain In Throat And Jaw
Chest pain is the most defining sign of a heart attackand is the symptom everybody knows. Focusing entirely on chest pain makes it easy to miss this sign if the pain radiates to the jaw and throat. The pain in these spots can be a dull ache or a sharp sensation. For some people having a heart attack, this may be the first sign they notice. Pain in these areas but not the chest, which is where the pain often starts, can cause confusion. The biological reason for this referred pain remains mostly a mystery to science.
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But Anyone Who Has Any Of These Signs For Five Minutes Or Longer Should See A Doctor Right Away
As with men, womens most common heart attack symptom is chest discomfort. Women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and back or jaw discomfort.
Regardless of your gender, getting proper medical care as quickly as possible is key to surviving a heart attack. Clot-busting drugs called thrombolytic agents have increased survival rates for heart attack patients when these medicines are given as soon as possible after an attack. These drugs and other artery-opening treatments can stop a heart attack in its tracks and can prevent or limit damage to the heart. To be most effective, they should be given within one hour of the start of heart attack symptoms.
If you think youre having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 and get to an emergency room. EMS is very well trained in the recognition and treatment of heart attacks and will take you to a hospital that is capable of providing first rate care for such an event.
Stomach Pains Mask Heart Attack
When Clive was admitted to Waikato Hospital with stomach pains, his initial concerns were that hed parked in a 30-minute car park and hed left his cigarettes at home. The nurse informed him the car would be ok and cigarettes were out of the question because the pain he could feel was a heart attack.
Clives story begins on a stormy night at the end of 2011. He was at home, 25km outside of Cambridge, when he began to get stomach pains. Initially he resisted acting on it.
I had pain. Indigestion, flatulence or something. Id had similar stomach pains before, so Im lying there and I think a good fart or a good crap will clear this up but I couldnt. So I lay there and it got a bit worse but they were the only symptoms.
By about 11 oclock I thought maybe I should have it looked at. Because by then it felt as if someone was standing on my stomach. I could still move but it was just uncomfortable. No other symptoms no tingling, no nothing.
Finally he made the decision to drive himself to hospital. He knows now he should have called an ambulance but he lives alone and, at the time, didnt think the situation was serious enough to bother friends or family.
In the middle of a heart attack
It was pouring down with rain. I drove to Waikato Hospital and I parked in the 30 min carpark thinking they could fix it swiftly. On presentation at A& E, Clive was immediately taken to a bed in a wheelchair then hooked up to an ECG machine.
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Heart Attack Symptoms Women Shouldnt Ignore
As women, particularly women of color, knowing the symptoms of a heart attack is imperative for our health and livelihood.
Black women of any age have a higher incidence of heart attacks in comparison to white women. The risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity, are also higher in black and Hispanic women versus white women.
What Kind Of Doctor Treats Non
The first time a person has non-cardiac chest pain, he or she usually goes to the emergency room, thinking he or she is having a heart attack. The first thing the emergency room doctor will do is make sure the pain is not a heart attack or due to heart disease.
If it truly is non-cardiac chest pain, the emergency room doctor usually refers the patient to a gastroenterologist, a doctor who specializes in digestive system disorders, for more testing and treatment.
Some people who have had several episodes of non-cardiac chest pain go to their primary care physician or a heart doctor instead of the emergency room. The doctor will follow the same steps to make sure the pain is not heart-related, then refer the person to a gastroenterologist.
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When To See A Doctor For Heartburn
People who experience acid reflux should make an appointment to see a doctor if:
- the condition persists for some time
- food sticks in the throat
- there is difficulty eating
- there is blood in the stools
- there is difficulty breathing or swallowing
Persistent exposure to the stomach acid can cause damage to the esophagus.
Emergency doctors will consider the symptoms, examine the patient, and carry out some tests.
What To Do When Heart Attack Happens
- If you or someone near you experiences heart attack symptoms like shoulder pain, heart attack may be suspected and 911 should be called within the first 5 minutes. Ensure you seek treatment immediately, most people die because they doubt the symptoms could be heat attack related.
- You might be tempted to drive the patient to the emergency room yourself, but it is better if you wait for the ambulance. The crew will know how to keep the patient alive. However, if you are having a heart attack, do not drive yourself unless you do not have any other choice.
- Before the ambulance arrives, try keeping the patient calm by sitting him down or helping him lie down. Secondly, if the person is not allergic to aspirin make them chew and swallow a baby aspirin. The effects are felt faster when it is chewed than when swallowed whole. If you notice the person has stopped breathing, a person qualified to perform CPR should perform the procedure on him, or you can do it. If you have no idea how to administer a CPR, the 911 operator can guide you through it.
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Causes And Associated Symptoms Of Chest Pain
Chest pain can be the result of a variety of different causes, ranging from a mild case of heartburn to a heart attack. Due to the large range in severity of chest pain, it is important to have a clear understanding of what certain chest pain symptoms mean and how to treat the symptoms in an urgent manner.
The causes of chest pain can be broken into four different categories, which are a heart problem, digestive problem, lung-related issue or a muscle and bone issue. A heart-related issue, such as angina or a heart attack, are typically the most concerning, although lung-related issues, such as a pulmonary embolism, can be life-threatening as well.
With that said, any muscle and digestive issues can also be potentially problematic, and every instance of chest pain should be followed by treatment.
While in some cases, the cause of chest pain may be obvious, such as a physical injury or sore muscles, it can be complicated to know the exact cause of other forms of chest pain. In order to properly assess the cause and severity of your chest pain, it is important to know the symptoms and what they mean. Here are the most common symptoms that also occur with chest pain:
Still There Are Warning Signs For Heart Attacks That Everyone Should Be Aware Of
Not every heart attack victim has symptoms like were used to seeing on television or in the movie. Its not always a sudden pain in the chest where the person clutches his shirt and collapses to the ground. The symptoms can be much more subtle than that. Angina, the main symptom of a heart attack, literally means anguish, not pain.
Many people delay getting critical medical care because they do not know that these symptoms may be associated with a heart attack they think that a heart attack always hurts.
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